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a r a b i a n SPORT HORSE THE JUNE/JULY 2014 GREY HORSE PHOTOGRAPHY Young Riders
62

June/July 2014

Mar 09, 2016

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The June/July 2014 issue of The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine.
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Page 1: June/July 2014

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

TH

E

JUNEJULY 2014

GREY H

ORSE PH

OTO

GRAPH

Y

Young Riders

The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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Cassandra Ingles

Proud Publisher of The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

anentice design

publication

entice-designcom

PublisherCassandra Ingles

EditorPeggy Ingles

Advertising(410) 823-5579

WebsiteTheArabianSportHorsecom

Emailinfothearabiansporthorsecom

Submissions amp Story Ideas Welcomed

Copyright 2014 All rights reserved

No reproduction without written permission

4 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

C O N T E N T S

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

TH

E

MAGAZINE

9 Willis Foley

16 Century Club

55 Conformation Clinic

58 2014 Foal Photos

60 Classifieds

61 Service Listings

6

cover story

Young Riders

bitS amp PieCeSNEWS ANd CurrENT EvENTS

10Weg getting thereWorld EquESTrIAN gAmES

14biomeChaniCSIS IT my HorSE or Am I CrookEd

18a Story oF heartoNE TougH ENdurANCE HorSE

22reading reFLeCtionSSPorT HorSE brEEdINg SySTEm

28

on the cover madison Winters and Silver Shadow kW

5JuneJuly 2014For the discerning breeder

Gabriela2002 Hanoverian Mare bull 163 hands bull Main Mare Book Inspection Res Champion

Graf Top II x Faccionable - Matcho AAElegant mover with 3 exceptional gaits correct conformation lovely temperament

Gabriela is an outstanding individual who ldquohad it allrdquo until her career was ended by a pasture accident

A wonderful broodmare for the serious Half-Arabian Sport Horse breeder - $10000 firmStill time to breed for a 2015 foal

For more information contact Vickie Novak (708) 860-8002 or vnovakattnet

Her damsire is the coveted Matcho AA - one of the few Anglo Arabian stallions accepted into the Hanoverian Stud Book

Gabrielarsquos Half-Arabian daughter Galamaya was Region 10 Champion SHIH and USDF All-Breeds Training Level Champion in her first season under saddle

Galamaya at 3 years

6 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Pam Hardin and GM Major SohoMondavi F and Jennifer Tobie

Barry

Kos

ter

Tam

ara

Torti

DRESSAGE NEWS

Congratulations to Jennifer Tobie who earned her USDF Gold

Medal this weekend Almost all of her scores were earned on Ara-

bian-bred horses

Photo at top is Jennifer on her Half-Arabian MONDAVI F++++

(Feuertanzer Trak x MRR Suite Dreams) on whom she earned her

last needed scores

Congratulations to Michelle Freeman who just earned her

USDF Bronze Medal on her Arabian LP SNICKERS+ (Pasos Perfec-

tion x LA Lali) with 3rd Level scores of 69 and 70 See our

story on Michelle in the Young Rider section of this issue

Two Aul Magic offspring did their breed proud at the Del Mar

National Horse Show Laine Sklar amp PALADIN SF earned Amateur

High Point Third Level Champion and Marcy Blacker amp AUL AMIRA

won their First Level-2 class

See photos and video here httpashmconewsp=1906

Melissa Lund and her Arabian dressage superstar KS FADLS

PHOENIX (Fadl Attrak-Shun x LLA Latisha) are now pursuing Cow-

boy Mounted Shooting along with competing at Intermediare-1

amp 2

Katie Lang and her Half-Arabian FA PATRIOT (Flurry Of Ca-Lynn

Friesian x La Sada Mega) are ranked 6th in the nation and will

be competing in the Junior Rider competition at the USEF Festival

Of Champions next week in Gladstone Their last two shows they

have earned scores in the high 60s and low 70s

Eleven-year-old Casey Cairns rode Arabian stallion EMPRES

PASB (Monogramm x Empressa) to a win in Western Dressage-Intro

1 last weekend at the Icebreaker Show in Canada

bull bull bull

Arabian gelding GM MAJOR SOHO (Major Jamaal x Psyloette

PA) and his ownerrider Pam Hardin earned an invitation to the

Para Equestrian Dressage National Championships at the USET

Headquarters in Gladstone NJ

Para Dressage is fairly new in the US but is growing by leaps

and bounds since the US team competed at their first World

Equestrian Games in 2010

Para riders are classified according to their level of disability

from Grade 1a (most disabled) to Grade IV Pam is classified as a

Grade III and therefore rides a Second Level test

ldquoWrigleyrdquo as hersquos known was purchased in 2008 as a hunter

pleasure horse but Pamrsquos trainer Melanie Mitchell took one look

at him and declared ldquodressagerdquo Pam had never ridden dressage

but Melanie told her she would have to learn

Pam took that challenge seriously and learned to ride mdash really

ride Despite her physical disability she has managed to earn her

USDF Bronze Medal and is working on her Silver

Pam had qualified on a Hanoverian Freemont for the Cham-

pionships But then two weeks ago Pam and Wrigley earned a

6975 in their Freestyle and by doing that won another golden

ticket

At Gladstone they tied for 5th with a 66316 in the ParaDres-

sage Grade III Team Test The next day Pam and Wrigley earned a

64949 and 5th place in the Individual test giving them the op-

portunity to ride in Freestyle In Freestyle they scored 66333

to earn a 6th place finish

Arabian owner Ashleigh Flores-Simmons rode warmblood

Verite to Reserve Champion in her Team Individual and Freesyle

Tests

7JuneJuly 2014

Emilie

Ruc

ci

BITS and pieces

Lauren Kieffer amp VermiculusPrima Rose Bonaventura Postorivo amp Just One Look

HUNTER amp JUMPER NEWS

Arabian-cross JUST ONE LOOK and ownerrider Prima Rose

Bonaventura Postorivo placed 3rd yesterday in the $2500 Pony

Jumpers at Devon Horse Show out of 18 entries Prima Rose was

the youngest rider in the class Can you imagine these two in a

year See a video of their rounds httpyoutubedXRCiqkRxuw

Half-Arabian mare ABILITY (MHR Nobility x Nikita KWPN) and

Kristin Hardin made it 3 for 3 in 110m Jumpers at the Sonoma

Horse Park Spring Classic besting all in huge classes of up to 48

horses

ABILITY and Kristin followed that up with two wins in 110m

Jumper classes at the Letrsquos Show Beach Party show at Brookside

Equestrian Park

Anglo Arabian SHOW OF FAITH (Showkayce x Victoria TB)

owned amp ridden by 16-year-old Jillian Li earned a blue and a few

more ribbons in the 95m Modified Childrenrsquos Jumpers last week

at the Sonoma Horse Park Spring Classic Congrats Jillian

Eight-year-old Bailey Lones and her Arabian HEARTS ADRIFT

(Lasodo x Al Thameena) won Reserve Champion Pony Hunter and

Champion 14 amp Under Equitation at Stonegate Farmrsquos ETHJA open

show Photo below

EVENTING NEWS

The newly crowned USEF National 4 Eventing Champion Lau-

ren Kieffer competed her Anglo Arabian VERMICULUS (Serazim x

Wake Me Gently TB) at the MCTA Horse Trials placing 2nd in

Open Preliminary

Anglo Arabian HOUSTON and Daniel Clasing finished in 26th

place at the Rolex 4 Day Event of 62 horses You can see their

show jumping round here httpyoutube8JQYfVG0uQU

Bran

t Gam

ma

Phot

o

Junior rider Egan Spoltore photo above and his Half-Arabian

IRONSTONE AO (Ironman Old x DF China Doll) finished second

in Training Level JTR at the May Daze Horse Trials They finished

on their dressage score of 355 Ironstone also made the selec-

tion for the World Cup Pentathlon show jumping section being

held in Sarasota Florida Ironstone was bred by Ancient Oaks Sport

Horses

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 2: June/July 2014

The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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WebsiteTheArabianSportHorsecom

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Submissions amp Story Ideas Welcomed

Copyright 2014 All rights reserved

No reproduction without written permission

4 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

C O N T E N T S

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

TH

E

MAGAZINE

9 Willis Foley

16 Century Club

55 Conformation Clinic

58 2014 Foal Photos

60 Classifieds

61 Service Listings

6

cover story

Young Riders

bitS amp PieCeSNEWS ANd CurrENT EvENTS

10Weg getting thereWorld EquESTrIAN gAmES

14biomeChaniCSIS IT my HorSE or Am I CrookEd

18a Story oF heartoNE TougH ENdurANCE HorSE

22reading reFLeCtionSSPorT HorSE brEEdINg SySTEm

28

on the cover madison Winters and Silver Shadow kW

5JuneJuly 2014For the discerning breeder

Gabriela2002 Hanoverian Mare bull 163 hands bull Main Mare Book Inspection Res Champion

Graf Top II x Faccionable - Matcho AAElegant mover with 3 exceptional gaits correct conformation lovely temperament

Gabriela is an outstanding individual who ldquohad it allrdquo until her career was ended by a pasture accident

A wonderful broodmare for the serious Half-Arabian Sport Horse breeder - $10000 firmStill time to breed for a 2015 foal

For more information contact Vickie Novak (708) 860-8002 or vnovakattnet

Her damsire is the coveted Matcho AA - one of the few Anglo Arabian stallions accepted into the Hanoverian Stud Book

Gabrielarsquos Half-Arabian daughter Galamaya was Region 10 Champion SHIH and USDF All-Breeds Training Level Champion in her first season under saddle

Galamaya at 3 years

6 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Pam Hardin and GM Major SohoMondavi F and Jennifer Tobie

Barry

Kos

ter

Tam

ara

Torti

DRESSAGE NEWS

Congratulations to Jennifer Tobie who earned her USDF Gold

Medal this weekend Almost all of her scores were earned on Ara-

bian-bred horses

Photo at top is Jennifer on her Half-Arabian MONDAVI F++++

(Feuertanzer Trak x MRR Suite Dreams) on whom she earned her

last needed scores

Congratulations to Michelle Freeman who just earned her

USDF Bronze Medal on her Arabian LP SNICKERS+ (Pasos Perfec-

tion x LA Lali) with 3rd Level scores of 69 and 70 See our

story on Michelle in the Young Rider section of this issue

Two Aul Magic offspring did their breed proud at the Del Mar

National Horse Show Laine Sklar amp PALADIN SF earned Amateur

High Point Third Level Champion and Marcy Blacker amp AUL AMIRA

won their First Level-2 class

See photos and video here httpashmconewsp=1906

Melissa Lund and her Arabian dressage superstar KS FADLS

PHOENIX (Fadl Attrak-Shun x LLA Latisha) are now pursuing Cow-

boy Mounted Shooting along with competing at Intermediare-1

amp 2

Katie Lang and her Half-Arabian FA PATRIOT (Flurry Of Ca-Lynn

Friesian x La Sada Mega) are ranked 6th in the nation and will

be competing in the Junior Rider competition at the USEF Festival

Of Champions next week in Gladstone Their last two shows they

have earned scores in the high 60s and low 70s

Eleven-year-old Casey Cairns rode Arabian stallion EMPRES

PASB (Monogramm x Empressa) to a win in Western Dressage-Intro

1 last weekend at the Icebreaker Show in Canada

bull bull bull

Arabian gelding GM MAJOR SOHO (Major Jamaal x Psyloette

PA) and his ownerrider Pam Hardin earned an invitation to the

Para Equestrian Dressage National Championships at the USET

Headquarters in Gladstone NJ

Para Dressage is fairly new in the US but is growing by leaps

and bounds since the US team competed at their first World

Equestrian Games in 2010

Para riders are classified according to their level of disability

from Grade 1a (most disabled) to Grade IV Pam is classified as a

Grade III and therefore rides a Second Level test

ldquoWrigleyrdquo as hersquos known was purchased in 2008 as a hunter

pleasure horse but Pamrsquos trainer Melanie Mitchell took one look

at him and declared ldquodressagerdquo Pam had never ridden dressage

but Melanie told her she would have to learn

Pam took that challenge seriously and learned to ride mdash really

ride Despite her physical disability she has managed to earn her

USDF Bronze Medal and is working on her Silver

Pam had qualified on a Hanoverian Freemont for the Cham-

pionships But then two weeks ago Pam and Wrigley earned a

6975 in their Freestyle and by doing that won another golden

ticket

At Gladstone they tied for 5th with a 66316 in the ParaDres-

sage Grade III Team Test The next day Pam and Wrigley earned a

64949 and 5th place in the Individual test giving them the op-

portunity to ride in Freestyle In Freestyle they scored 66333

to earn a 6th place finish

Arabian owner Ashleigh Flores-Simmons rode warmblood

Verite to Reserve Champion in her Team Individual and Freesyle

Tests

7JuneJuly 2014

Emilie

Ruc

ci

BITS and pieces

Lauren Kieffer amp VermiculusPrima Rose Bonaventura Postorivo amp Just One Look

HUNTER amp JUMPER NEWS

Arabian-cross JUST ONE LOOK and ownerrider Prima Rose

Bonaventura Postorivo placed 3rd yesterday in the $2500 Pony

Jumpers at Devon Horse Show out of 18 entries Prima Rose was

the youngest rider in the class Can you imagine these two in a

year See a video of their rounds httpyoutubedXRCiqkRxuw

Half-Arabian mare ABILITY (MHR Nobility x Nikita KWPN) and

Kristin Hardin made it 3 for 3 in 110m Jumpers at the Sonoma

Horse Park Spring Classic besting all in huge classes of up to 48

horses

ABILITY and Kristin followed that up with two wins in 110m

Jumper classes at the Letrsquos Show Beach Party show at Brookside

Equestrian Park

Anglo Arabian SHOW OF FAITH (Showkayce x Victoria TB)

owned amp ridden by 16-year-old Jillian Li earned a blue and a few

more ribbons in the 95m Modified Childrenrsquos Jumpers last week

at the Sonoma Horse Park Spring Classic Congrats Jillian

Eight-year-old Bailey Lones and her Arabian HEARTS ADRIFT

(Lasodo x Al Thameena) won Reserve Champion Pony Hunter and

Champion 14 amp Under Equitation at Stonegate Farmrsquos ETHJA open

show Photo below

EVENTING NEWS

The newly crowned USEF National 4 Eventing Champion Lau-

ren Kieffer competed her Anglo Arabian VERMICULUS (Serazim x

Wake Me Gently TB) at the MCTA Horse Trials placing 2nd in

Open Preliminary

Anglo Arabian HOUSTON and Daniel Clasing finished in 26th

place at the Rolex 4 Day Event of 62 horses You can see their

show jumping round here httpyoutube8JQYfVG0uQU

Bran

t Gam

ma

Phot

o

Junior rider Egan Spoltore photo above and his Half-Arabian

IRONSTONE AO (Ironman Old x DF China Doll) finished second

in Training Level JTR at the May Daze Horse Trials They finished

on their dressage score of 355 Ironstone also made the selec-

tion for the World Cup Pentathlon show jumping section being

held in Sarasota Florida Ironstone was bred by Ancient Oaks Sport

Horses

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 3: June/July 2014

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a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

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publication

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PublisherCassandra Ingles

EditorPeggy Ingles

Advertising(410) 823-5579

WebsiteTheArabianSportHorsecom

Emailinfothearabiansporthorsecom

Submissions amp Story Ideas Welcomed

Copyright 2014 All rights reserved

No reproduction without written permission

4 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

C O N T E N T S

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

TH

E

MAGAZINE

9 Willis Foley

16 Century Club

55 Conformation Clinic

58 2014 Foal Photos

60 Classifieds

61 Service Listings

6

cover story

Young Riders

bitS amp PieCeSNEWS ANd CurrENT EvENTS

10Weg getting thereWorld EquESTrIAN gAmES

14biomeChaniCSIS IT my HorSE or Am I CrookEd

18a Story oF heartoNE TougH ENdurANCE HorSE

22reading reFLeCtionSSPorT HorSE brEEdINg SySTEm

28

on the cover madison Winters and Silver Shadow kW

5JuneJuly 2014For the discerning breeder

Gabriela2002 Hanoverian Mare bull 163 hands bull Main Mare Book Inspection Res Champion

Graf Top II x Faccionable - Matcho AAElegant mover with 3 exceptional gaits correct conformation lovely temperament

Gabriela is an outstanding individual who ldquohad it allrdquo until her career was ended by a pasture accident

A wonderful broodmare for the serious Half-Arabian Sport Horse breeder - $10000 firmStill time to breed for a 2015 foal

For more information contact Vickie Novak (708) 860-8002 or vnovakattnet

Her damsire is the coveted Matcho AA - one of the few Anglo Arabian stallions accepted into the Hanoverian Stud Book

Gabrielarsquos Half-Arabian daughter Galamaya was Region 10 Champion SHIH and USDF All-Breeds Training Level Champion in her first season under saddle

Galamaya at 3 years

6 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Pam Hardin and GM Major SohoMondavi F and Jennifer Tobie

Barry

Kos

ter

Tam

ara

Torti

DRESSAGE NEWS

Congratulations to Jennifer Tobie who earned her USDF Gold

Medal this weekend Almost all of her scores were earned on Ara-

bian-bred horses

Photo at top is Jennifer on her Half-Arabian MONDAVI F++++

(Feuertanzer Trak x MRR Suite Dreams) on whom she earned her

last needed scores

Congratulations to Michelle Freeman who just earned her

USDF Bronze Medal on her Arabian LP SNICKERS+ (Pasos Perfec-

tion x LA Lali) with 3rd Level scores of 69 and 70 See our

story on Michelle in the Young Rider section of this issue

Two Aul Magic offspring did their breed proud at the Del Mar

National Horse Show Laine Sklar amp PALADIN SF earned Amateur

High Point Third Level Champion and Marcy Blacker amp AUL AMIRA

won their First Level-2 class

See photos and video here httpashmconewsp=1906

Melissa Lund and her Arabian dressage superstar KS FADLS

PHOENIX (Fadl Attrak-Shun x LLA Latisha) are now pursuing Cow-

boy Mounted Shooting along with competing at Intermediare-1

amp 2

Katie Lang and her Half-Arabian FA PATRIOT (Flurry Of Ca-Lynn

Friesian x La Sada Mega) are ranked 6th in the nation and will

be competing in the Junior Rider competition at the USEF Festival

Of Champions next week in Gladstone Their last two shows they

have earned scores in the high 60s and low 70s

Eleven-year-old Casey Cairns rode Arabian stallion EMPRES

PASB (Monogramm x Empressa) to a win in Western Dressage-Intro

1 last weekend at the Icebreaker Show in Canada

bull bull bull

Arabian gelding GM MAJOR SOHO (Major Jamaal x Psyloette

PA) and his ownerrider Pam Hardin earned an invitation to the

Para Equestrian Dressage National Championships at the USET

Headquarters in Gladstone NJ

Para Dressage is fairly new in the US but is growing by leaps

and bounds since the US team competed at their first World

Equestrian Games in 2010

Para riders are classified according to their level of disability

from Grade 1a (most disabled) to Grade IV Pam is classified as a

Grade III and therefore rides a Second Level test

ldquoWrigleyrdquo as hersquos known was purchased in 2008 as a hunter

pleasure horse but Pamrsquos trainer Melanie Mitchell took one look

at him and declared ldquodressagerdquo Pam had never ridden dressage

but Melanie told her she would have to learn

Pam took that challenge seriously and learned to ride mdash really

ride Despite her physical disability she has managed to earn her

USDF Bronze Medal and is working on her Silver

Pam had qualified on a Hanoverian Freemont for the Cham-

pionships But then two weeks ago Pam and Wrigley earned a

6975 in their Freestyle and by doing that won another golden

ticket

At Gladstone they tied for 5th with a 66316 in the ParaDres-

sage Grade III Team Test The next day Pam and Wrigley earned a

64949 and 5th place in the Individual test giving them the op-

portunity to ride in Freestyle In Freestyle they scored 66333

to earn a 6th place finish

Arabian owner Ashleigh Flores-Simmons rode warmblood

Verite to Reserve Champion in her Team Individual and Freesyle

Tests

7JuneJuly 2014

Emilie

Ruc

ci

BITS and pieces

Lauren Kieffer amp VermiculusPrima Rose Bonaventura Postorivo amp Just One Look

HUNTER amp JUMPER NEWS

Arabian-cross JUST ONE LOOK and ownerrider Prima Rose

Bonaventura Postorivo placed 3rd yesterday in the $2500 Pony

Jumpers at Devon Horse Show out of 18 entries Prima Rose was

the youngest rider in the class Can you imagine these two in a

year See a video of their rounds httpyoutubedXRCiqkRxuw

Half-Arabian mare ABILITY (MHR Nobility x Nikita KWPN) and

Kristin Hardin made it 3 for 3 in 110m Jumpers at the Sonoma

Horse Park Spring Classic besting all in huge classes of up to 48

horses

ABILITY and Kristin followed that up with two wins in 110m

Jumper classes at the Letrsquos Show Beach Party show at Brookside

Equestrian Park

Anglo Arabian SHOW OF FAITH (Showkayce x Victoria TB)

owned amp ridden by 16-year-old Jillian Li earned a blue and a few

more ribbons in the 95m Modified Childrenrsquos Jumpers last week

at the Sonoma Horse Park Spring Classic Congrats Jillian

Eight-year-old Bailey Lones and her Arabian HEARTS ADRIFT

(Lasodo x Al Thameena) won Reserve Champion Pony Hunter and

Champion 14 amp Under Equitation at Stonegate Farmrsquos ETHJA open

show Photo below

EVENTING NEWS

The newly crowned USEF National 4 Eventing Champion Lau-

ren Kieffer competed her Anglo Arabian VERMICULUS (Serazim x

Wake Me Gently TB) at the MCTA Horse Trials placing 2nd in

Open Preliminary

Anglo Arabian HOUSTON and Daniel Clasing finished in 26th

place at the Rolex 4 Day Event of 62 horses You can see their

show jumping round here httpyoutube8JQYfVG0uQU

Bran

t Gam

ma

Phot

o

Junior rider Egan Spoltore photo above and his Half-Arabian

IRONSTONE AO (Ironman Old x DF China Doll) finished second

in Training Level JTR at the May Daze Horse Trials They finished

on their dressage score of 355 Ironstone also made the selec-

tion for the World Cup Pentathlon show jumping section being

held in Sarasota Florida Ironstone was bred by Ancient Oaks Sport

Horses

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 4: June/July 2014

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

anentice design

publication

entice-designcom

PublisherCassandra Ingles

EditorPeggy Ingles

Advertising(410) 823-5579

WebsiteTheArabianSportHorsecom

Emailinfothearabiansporthorsecom

Submissions amp Story Ideas Welcomed

Copyright 2014 All rights reserved

No reproduction without written permission

4 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

C O N T E N T S

a r a b i a nSPORT HORSE

TH

E

MAGAZINE

9 Willis Foley

16 Century Club

55 Conformation Clinic

58 2014 Foal Photos

60 Classifieds

61 Service Listings

6

cover story

Young Riders

bitS amp PieCeSNEWS ANd CurrENT EvENTS

10Weg getting thereWorld EquESTrIAN gAmES

14biomeChaniCSIS IT my HorSE or Am I CrookEd

18a Story oF heartoNE TougH ENdurANCE HorSE

22reading reFLeCtionSSPorT HorSE brEEdINg SySTEm

28

on the cover madison Winters and Silver Shadow kW

5JuneJuly 2014For the discerning breeder

Gabriela2002 Hanoverian Mare bull 163 hands bull Main Mare Book Inspection Res Champion

Graf Top II x Faccionable - Matcho AAElegant mover with 3 exceptional gaits correct conformation lovely temperament

Gabriela is an outstanding individual who ldquohad it allrdquo until her career was ended by a pasture accident

A wonderful broodmare for the serious Half-Arabian Sport Horse breeder - $10000 firmStill time to breed for a 2015 foal

For more information contact Vickie Novak (708) 860-8002 or vnovakattnet

Her damsire is the coveted Matcho AA - one of the few Anglo Arabian stallions accepted into the Hanoverian Stud Book

Gabrielarsquos Half-Arabian daughter Galamaya was Region 10 Champion SHIH and USDF All-Breeds Training Level Champion in her first season under saddle

Galamaya at 3 years

6 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Pam Hardin and GM Major SohoMondavi F and Jennifer Tobie

Barry

Kos

ter

Tam

ara

Torti

DRESSAGE NEWS

Congratulations to Jennifer Tobie who earned her USDF Gold

Medal this weekend Almost all of her scores were earned on Ara-

bian-bred horses

Photo at top is Jennifer on her Half-Arabian MONDAVI F++++

(Feuertanzer Trak x MRR Suite Dreams) on whom she earned her

last needed scores

Congratulations to Michelle Freeman who just earned her

USDF Bronze Medal on her Arabian LP SNICKERS+ (Pasos Perfec-

tion x LA Lali) with 3rd Level scores of 69 and 70 See our

story on Michelle in the Young Rider section of this issue

Two Aul Magic offspring did their breed proud at the Del Mar

National Horse Show Laine Sklar amp PALADIN SF earned Amateur

High Point Third Level Champion and Marcy Blacker amp AUL AMIRA

won their First Level-2 class

See photos and video here httpashmconewsp=1906

Melissa Lund and her Arabian dressage superstar KS FADLS

PHOENIX (Fadl Attrak-Shun x LLA Latisha) are now pursuing Cow-

boy Mounted Shooting along with competing at Intermediare-1

amp 2

Katie Lang and her Half-Arabian FA PATRIOT (Flurry Of Ca-Lynn

Friesian x La Sada Mega) are ranked 6th in the nation and will

be competing in the Junior Rider competition at the USEF Festival

Of Champions next week in Gladstone Their last two shows they

have earned scores in the high 60s and low 70s

Eleven-year-old Casey Cairns rode Arabian stallion EMPRES

PASB (Monogramm x Empressa) to a win in Western Dressage-Intro

1 last weekend at the Icebreaker Show in Canada

bull bull bull

Arabian gelding GM MAJOR SOHO (Major Jamaal x Psyloette

PA) and his ownerrider Pam Hardin earned an invitation to the

Para Equestrian Dressage National Championships at the USET

Headquarters in Gladstone NJ

Para Dressage is fairly new in the US but is growing by leaps

and bounds since the US team competed at their first World

Equestrian Games in 2010

Para riders are classified according to their level of disability

from Grade 1a (most disabled) to Grade IV Pam is classified as a

Grade III and therefore rides a Second Level test

ldquoWrigleyrdquo as hersquos known was purchased in 2008 as a hunter

pleasure horse but Pamrsquos trainer Melanie Mitchell took one look

at him and declared ldquodressagerdquo Pam had never ridden dressage

but Melanie told her she would have to learn

Pam took that challenge seriously and learned to ride mdash really

ride Despite her physical disability she has managed to earn her

USDF Bronze Medal and is working on her Silver

Pam had qualified on a Hanoverian Freemont for the Cham-

pionships But then two weeks ago Pam and Wrigley earned a

6975 in their Freestyle and by doing that won another golden

ticket

At Gladstone they tied for 5th with a 66316 in the ParaDres-

sage Grade III Team Test The next day Pam and Wrigley earned a

64949 and 5th place in the Individual test giving them the op-

portunity to ride in Freestyle In Freestyle they scored 66333

to earn a 6th place finish

Arabian owner Ashleigh Flores-Simmons rode warmblood

Verite to Reserve Champion in her Team Individual and Freesyle

Tests

7JuneJuly 2014

Emilie

Ruc

ci

BITS and pieces

Lauren Kieffer amp VermiculusPrima Rose Bonaventura Postorivo amp Just One Look

HUNTER amp JUMPER NEWS

Arabian-cross JUST ONE LOOK and ownerrider Prima Rose

Bonaventura Postorivo placed 3rd yesterday in the $2500 Pony

Jumpers at Devon Horse Show out of 18 entries Prima Rose was

the youngest rider in the class Can you imagine these two in a

year See a video of their rounds httpyoutubedXRCiqkRxuw

Half-Arabian mare ABILITY (MHR Nobility x Nikita KWPN) and

Kristin Hardin made it 3 for 3 in 110m Jumpers at the Sonoma

Horse Park Spring Classic besting all in huge classes of up to 48

horses

ABILITY and Kristin followed that up with two wins in 110m

Jumper classes at the Letrsquos Show Beach Party show at Brookside

Equestrian Park

Anglo Arabian SHOW OF FAITH (Showkayce x Victoria TB)

owned amp ridden by 16-year-old Jillian Li earned a blue and a few

more ribbons in the 95m Modified Childrenrsquos Jumpers last week

at the Sonoma Horse Park Spring Classic Congrats Jillian

Eight-year-old Bailey Lones and her Arabian HEARTS ADRIFT

(Lasodo x Al Thameena) won Reserve Champion Pony Hunter and

Champion 14 amp Under Equitation at Stonegate Farmrsquos ETHJA open

show Photo below

EVENTING NEWS

The newly crowned USEF National 4 Eventing Champion Lau-

ren Kieffer competed her Anglo Arabian VERMICULUS (Serazim x

Wake Me Gently TB) at the MCTA Horse Trials placing 2nd in

Open Preliminary

Anglo Arabian HOUSTON and Daniel Clasing finished in 26th

place at the Rolex 4 Day Event of 62 horses You can see their

show jumping round here httpyoutube8JQYfVG0uQU

Bran

t Gam

ma

Phot

o

Junior rider Egan Spoltore photo above and his Half-Arabian

IRONSTONE AO (Ironman Old x DF China Doll) finished second

in Training Level JTR at the May Daze Horse Trials They finished

on their dressage score of 355 Ironstone also made the selec-

tion for the World Cup Pentathlon show jumping section being

held in Sarasota Florida Ironstone was bred by Ancient Oaks Sport

Horses

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 5: June/July 2014

5JuneJuly 2014For the discerning breeder

Gabriela2002 Hanoverian Mare bull 163 hands bull Main Mare Book Inspection Res Champion

Graf Top II x Faccionable - Matcho AAElegant mover with 3 exceptional gaits correct conformation lovely temperament

Gabriela is an outstanding individual who ldquohad it allrdquo until her career was ended by a pasture accident

A wonderful broodmare for the serious Half-Arabian Sport Horse breeder - $10000 firmStill time to breed for a 2015 foal

For more information contact Vickie Novak (708) 860-8002 or vnovakattnet

Her damsire is the coveted Matcho AA - one of the few Anglo Arabian stallions accepted into the Hanoverian Stud Book

Gabrielarsquos Half-Arabian daughter Galamaya was Region 10 Champion SHIH and USDF All-Breeds Training Level Champion in her first season under saddle

Galamaya at 3 years

6 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Pam Hardin and GM Major SohoMondavi F and Jennifer Tobie

Barry

Kos

ter

Tam

ara

Torti

DRESSAGE NEWS

Congratulations to Jennifer Tobie who earned her USDF Gold

Medal this weekend Almost all of her scores were earned on Ara-

bian-bred horses

Photo at top is Jennifer on her Half-Arabian MONDAVI F++++

(Feuertanzer Trak x MRR Suite Dreams) on whom she earned her

last needed scores

Congratulations to Michelle Freeman who just earned her

USDF Bronze Medal on her Arabian LP SNICKERS+ (Pasos Perfec-

tion x LA Lali) with 3rd Level scores of 69 and 70 See our

story on Michelle in the Young Rider section of this issue

Two Aul Magic offspring did their breed proud at the Del Mar

National Horse Show Laine Sklar amp PALADIN SF earned Amateur

High Point Third Level Champion and Marcy Blacker amp AUL AMIRA

won their First Level-2 class

See photos and video here httpashmconewsp=1906

Melissa Lund and her Arabian dressage superstar KS FADLS

PHOENIX (Fadl Attrak-Shun x LLA Latisha) are now pursuing Cow-

boy Mounted Shooting along with competing at Intermediare-1

amp 2

Katie Lang and her Half-Arabian FA PATRIOT (Flurry Of Ca-Lynn

Friesian x La Sada Mega) are ranked 6th in the nation and will

be competing in the Junior Rider competition at the USEF Festival

Of Champions next week in Gladstone Their last two shows they

have earned scores in the high 60s and low 70s

Eleven-year-old Casey Cairns rode Arabian stallion EMPRES

PASB (Monogramm x Empressa) to a win in Western Dressage-Intro

1 last weekend at the Icebreaker Show in Canada

bull bull bull

Arabian gelding GM MAJOR SOHO (Major Jamaal x Psyloette

PA) and his ownerrider Pam Hardin earned an invitation to the

Para Equestrian Dressage National Championships at the USET

Headquarters in Gladstone NJ

Para Dressage is fairly new in the US but is growing by leaps

and bounds since the US team competed at their first World

Equestrian Games in 2010

Para riders are classified according to their level of disability

from Grade 1a (most disabled) to Grade IV Pam is classified as a

Grade III and therefore rides a Second Level test

ldquoWrigleyrdquo as hersquos known was purchased in 2008 as a hunter

pleasure horse but Pamrsquos trainer Melanie Mitchell took one look

at him and declared ldquodressagerdquo Pam had never ridden dressage

but Melanie told her she would have to learn

Pam took that challenge seriously and learned to ride mdash really

ride Despite her physical disability she has managed to earn her

USDF Bronze Medal and is working on her Silver

Pam had qualified on a Hanoverian Freemont for the Cham-

pionships But then two weeks ago Pam and Wrigley earned a

6975 in their Freestyle and by doing that won another golden

ticket

At Gladstone they tied for 5th with a 66316 in the ParaDres-

sage Grade III Team Test The next day Pam and Wrigley earned a

64949 and 5th place in the Individual test giving them the op-

portunity to ride in Freestyle In Freestyle they scored 66333

to earn a 6th place finish

Arabian owner Ashleigh Flores-Simmons rode warmblood

Verite to Reserve Champion in her Team Individual and Freesyle

Tests

7JuneJuly 2014

Emilie

Ruc

ci

BITS and pieces

Lauren Kieffer amp VermiculusPrima Rose Bonaventura Postorivo amp Just One Look

HUNTER amp JUMPER NEWS

Arabian-cross JUST ONE LOOK and ownerrider Prima Rose

Bonaventura Postorivo placed 3rd yesterday in the $2500 Pony

Jumpers at Devon Horse Show out of 18 entries Prima Rose was

the youngest rider in the class Can you imagine these two in a

year See a video of their rounds httpyoutubedXRCiqkRxuw

Half-Arabian mare ABILITY (MHR Nobility x Nikita KWPN) and

Kristin Hardin made it 3 for 3 in 110m Jumpers at the Sonoma

Horse Park Spring Classic besting all in huge classes of up to 48

horses

ABILITY and Kristin followed that up with two wins in 110m

Jumper classes at the Letrsquos Show Beach Party show at Brookside

Equestrian Park

Anglo Arabian SHOW OF FAITH (Showkayce x Victoria TB)

owned amp ridden by 16-year-old Jillian Li earned a blue and a few

more ribbons in the 95m Modified Childrenrsquos Jumpers last week

at the Sonoma Horse Park Spring Classic Congrats Jillian

Eight-year-old Bailey Lones and her Arabian HEARTS ADRIFT

(Lasodo x Al Thameena) won Reserve Champion Pony Hunter and

Champion 14 amp Under Equitation at Stonegate Farmrsquos ETHJA open

show Photo below

EVENTING NEWS

The newly crowned USEF National 4 Eventing Champion Lau-

ren Kieffer competed her Anglo Arabian VERMICULUS (Serazim x

Wake Me Gently TB) at the MCTA Horse Trials placing 2nd in

Open Preliminary

Anglo Arabian HOUSTON and Daniel Clasing finished in 26th

place at the Rolex 4 Day Event of 62 horses You can see their

show jumping round here httpyoutube8JQYfVG0uQU

Bran

t Gam

ma

Phot

o

Junior rider Egan Spoltore photo above and his Half-Arabian

IRONSTONE AO (Ironman Old x DF China Doll) finished second

in Training Level JTR at the May Daze Horse Trials They finished

on their dressage score of 355 Ironstone also made the selec-

tion for the World Cup Pentathlon show jumping section being

held in Sarasota Florida Ironstone was bred by Ancient Oaks Sport

Horses

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

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Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 6: June/July 2014

6 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Pam Hardin and GM Major SohoMondavi F and Jennifer Tobie

Barry

Kos

ter

Tam

ara

Torti

DRESSAGE NEWS

Congratulations to Jennifer Tobie who earned her USDF Gold

Medal this weekend Almost all of her scores were earned on Ara-

bian-bred horses

Photo at top is Jennifer on her Half-Arabian MONDAVI F++++

(Feuertanzer Trak x MRR Suite Dreams) on whom she earned her

last needed scores

Congratulations to Michelle Freeman who just earned her

USDF Bronze Medal on her Arabian LP SNICKERS+ (Pasos Perfec-

tion x LA Lali) with 3rd Level scores of 69 and 70 See our

story on Michelle in the Young Rider section of this issue

Two Aul Magic offspring did their breed proud at the Del Mar

National Horse Show Laine Sklar amp PALADIN SF earned Amateur

High Point Third Level Champion and Marcy Blacker amp AUL AMIRA

won their First Level-2 class

See photos and video here httpashmconewsp=1906

Melissa Lund and her Arabian dressage superstar KS FADLS

PHOENIX (Fadl Attrak-Shun x LLA Latisha) are now pursuing Cow-

boy Mounted Shooting along with competing at Intermediare-1

amp 2

Katie Lang and her Half-Arabian FA PATRIOT (Flurry Of Ca-Lynn

Friesian x La Sada Mega) are ranked 6th in the nation and will

be competing in the Junior Rider competition at the USEF Festival

Of Champions next week in Gladstone Their last two shows they

have earned scores in the high 60s and low 70s

Eleven-year-old Casey Cairns rode Arabian stallion EMPRES

PASB (Monogramm x Empressa) to a win in Western Dressage-Intro

1 last weekend at the Icebreaker Show in Canada

bull bull bull

Arabian gelding GM MAJOR SOHO (Major Jamaal x Psyloette

PA) and his ownerrider Pam Hardin earned an invitation to the

Para Equestrian Dressage National Championships at the USET

Headquarters in Gladstone NJ

Para Dressage is fairly new in the US but is growing by leaps

and bounds since the US team competed at their first World

Equestrian Games in 2010

Para riders are classified according to their level of disability

from Grade 1a (most disabled) to Grade IV Pam is classified as a

Grade III and therefore rides a Second Level test

ldquoWrigleyrdquo as hersquos known was purchased in 2008 as a hunter

pleasure horse but Pamrsquos trainer Melanie Mitchell took one look

at him and declared ldquodressagerdquo Pam had never ridden dressage

but Melanie told her she would have to learn

Pam took that challenge seriously and learned to ride mdash really

ride Despite her physical disability she has managed to earn her

USDF Bronze Medal and is working on her Silver

Pam had qualified on a Hanoverian Freemont for the Cham-

pionships But then two weeks ago Pam and Wrigley earned a

6975 in their Freestyle and by doing that won another golden

ticket

At Gladstone they tied for 5th with a 66316 in the ParaDres-

sage Grade III Team Test The next day Pam and Wrigley earned a

64949 and 5th place in the Individual test giving them the op-

portunity to ride in Freestyle In Freestyle they scored 66333

to earn a 6th place finish

Arabian owner Ashleigh Flores-Simmons rode warmblood

Verite to Reserve Champion in her Team Individual and Freesyle

Tests

7JuneJuly 2014

Emilie

Ruc

ci

BITS and pieces

Lauren Kieffer amp VermiculusPrima Rose Bonaventura Postorivo amp Just One Look

HUNTER amp JUMPER NEWS

Arabian-cross JUST ONE LOOK and ownerrider Prima Rose

Bonaventura Postorivo placed 3rd yesterday in the $2500 Pony

Jumpers at Devon Horse Show out of 18 entries Prima Rose was

the youngest rider in the class Can you imagine these two in a

year See a video of their rounds httpyoutubedXRCiqkRxuw

Half-Arabian mare ABILITY (MHR Nobility x Nikita KWPN) and

Kristin Hardin made it 3 for 3 in 110m Jumpers at the Sonoma

Horse Park Spring Classic besting all in huge classes of up to 48

horses

ABILITY and Kristin followed that up with two wins in 110m

Jumper classes at the Letrsquos Show Beach Party show at Brookside

Equestrian Park

Anglo Arabian SHOW OF FAITH (Showkayce x Victoria TB)

owned amp ridden by 16-year-old Jillian Li earned a blue and a few

more ribbons in the 95m Modified Childrenrsquos Jumpers last week

at the Sonoma Horse Park Spring Classic Congrats Jillian

Eight-year-old Bailey Lones and her Arabian HEARTS ADRIFT

(Lasodo x Al Thameena) won Reserve Champion Pony Hunter and

Champion 14 amp Under Equitation at Stonegate Farmrsquos ETHJA open

show Photo below

EVENTING NEWS

The newly crowned USEF National 4 Eventing Champion Lau-

ren Kieffer competed her Anglo Arabian VERMICULUS (Serazim x

Wake Me Gently TB) at the MCTA Horse Trials placing 2nd in

Open Preliminary

Anglo Arabian HOUSTON and Daniel Clasing finished in 26th

place at the Rolex 4 Day Event of 62 horses You can see their

show jumping round here httpyoutube8JQYfVG0uQU

Bran

t Gam

ma

Phot

o

Junior rider Egan Spoltore photo above and his Half-Arabian

IRONSTONE AO (Ironman Old x DF China Doll) finished second

in Training Level JTR at the May Daze Horse Trials They finished

on their dressage score of 355 Ironstone also made the selec-

tion for the World Cup Pentathlon show jumping section being

held in Sarasota Florida Ironstone was bred by Ancient Oaks Sport

Horses

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

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Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 7: June/July 2014

7JuneJuly 2014

Emilie

Ruc

ci

BITS and pieces

Lauren Kieffer amp VermiculusPrima Rose Bonaventura Postorivo amp Just One Look

HUNTER amp JUMPER NEWS

Arabian-cross JUST ONE LOOK and ownerrider Prima Rose

Bonaventura Postorivo placed 3rd yesterday in the $2500 Pony

Jumpers at Devon Horse Show out of 18 entries Prima Rose was

the youngest rider in the class Can you imagine these two in a

year See a video of their rounds httpyoutubedXRCiqkRxuw

Half-Arabian mare ABILITY (MHR Nobility x Nikita KWPN) and

Kristin Hardin made it 3 for 3 in 110m Jumpers at the Sonoma

Horse Park Spring Classic besting all in huge classes of up to 48

horses

ABILITY and Kristin followed that up with two wins in 110m

Jumper classes at the Letrsquos Show Beach Party show at Brookside

Equestrian Park

Anglo Arabian SHOW OF FAITH (Showkayce x Victoria TB)

owned amp ridden by 16-year-old Jillian Li earned a blue and a few

more ribbons in the 95m Modified Childrenrsquos Jumpers last week

at the Sonoma Horse Park Spring Classic Congrats Jillian

Eight-year-old Bailey Lones and her Arabian HEARTS ADRIFT

(Lasodo x Al Thameena) won Reserve Champion Pony Hunter and

Champion 14 amp Under Equitation at Stonegate Farmrsquos ETHJA open

show Photo below

EVENTING NEWS

The newly crowned USEF National 4 Eventing Champion Lau-

ren Kieffer competed her Anglo Arabian VERMICULUS (Serazim x

Wake Me Gently TB) at the MCTA Horse Trials placing 2nd in

Open Preliminary

Anglo Arabian HOUSTON and Daniel Clasing finished in 26th

place at the Rolex 4 Day Event of 62 horses You can see their

show jumping round here httpyoutube8JQYfVG0uQU

Bran

t Gam

ma

Phot

o

Junior rider Egan Spoltore photo above and his Half-Arabian

IRONSTONE AO (Ironman Old x DF China Doll) finished second

in Training Level JTR at the May Daze Horse Trials They finished

on their dressage score of 355 Ironstone also made the selec-

tion for the World Cup Pentathlon show jumping section being

held in Sarasota Florida Ironstone was bred by Ancient Oaks Sport

Horses

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 8: June/July 2014

8 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BITS and pieces

Gaby Stephens amp Glenlordrsquos MystiqueCocoa Vino and Kelly Felicijan

Arabian cross IN FLIGHT Nrsquo OUT OF SIGHT and young rider Jes-

sica Ebzery are having a great spring having placed 1st at Pine Top

in March and 2nd at King Oak Farm HT last week in Training level

Half Arabian COCOA VINO (Sebaca x Trakehner) and owner

Kelly Felicijan competed in their first Preliminary event at Stone

Gate Farm in May They won the dressage and finished in 4th place

overall Congrats to Kelly and breeder Wendy Gruskiewicz

Gaby Stephens and her Half Arabian GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE

completed their first CIC at Greenwood Spring Horse Trials This

young rider and young horse have gone from Beginner Novice to

international 1 in just two yearsrsquo time Read our feature story

about them httpbitly17hvxTZ

Gaby Stephens and GLENLORDrsquoS MYSTIQUE were attempt-

ing their second CIC1 at Chattahoochee Hills when they had a

tumble on cross country They had a decent dressage test sitting

14th then went double clear in stadium to move up to 12th Then

such as it is with horses the unexpected happened ndash they had a

fall on cross country

Here is Gabyrsquos description of what happened

ldquoWe were coming into the water complex it was an A-B-C

combination with a down bank being A an up bank being B and

a house two strides away being C We had gotten down the down

bank into the water and were approaching the up bank when we

got to the base to take off and tripped going up the bank

ldquoWe were both falling to the ground and somehow Mystic

managed to keep herself from falling and trampling me She then

proceeded to step over I was afraid she was going to take off be-

cause she had never heard my air vest deploy but she didnrsquot

ldquoPeople started running toward me and yelling at me to stay

on the ground because they thought the noise that my vest made

when it deployed was my skull and helmet making contact with

the ground I had to tell them to be careful lsquoShersquos spooky get me

out from underneath her but if she spooks shersquoll step on mersquo

ldquoPeople came up to me the rest of the day and continually told

me it looked like she was protecting merdquo Now thatrsquos a partnership

Both Gaby and Mystic came out of the experience sore but fine

Lisa Levine above and her Half-Arabian MADE YA LOOK (reg

as BW I SEE YOU Black River Thor [Morgan] x BW Fantazi) de-

buted for 2014 at Twin Rivers this spring They finished fourth in

Open Training at this their first event after an injury in 2013

Lisa and MADE YA LOOK also lead Open Training at Woodside

Horse Trials from start to finish in May

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 9: June/July 2014

9JuneJuly 2014

Willis A Foley JrThe Arabian horse community lost a life-long supporter on May 22 2014 Willis Foley had served as a Direc-tor Treasurer Trustee of the Purebred Arabian Trust and most recently as Chair of the Registration Commission for the Arabian Horse Association

While changing the tire on a horse trailer with a friend well off the road on Route 15 in Lycoming County a tractor trailer hit him In a self-less act of heroism Willis pushed his friend out of the way to save his life Willis was struck by the truck and died on the scene from the injuries he sustained

Willis Foley leaves a legacy of heroism He was a Veteran who proudly served in Vietnam He was a passionate supporter of the Arabian horse serving on the Govern-ance Committee of the Purebred Arabian Trust He rescued dogs horsespeople There was not a person on earth that didnrsquot feel as if they had known him forever from the their first introductions He was in love with his beautiful wife Karin Together they built their farm Solar Hill Sport Horses amp Blind Squirrel Labradors

Willis devoted the majority of his life to horses through breeding and rescuing Willis was an avid motor enthu-siast who was interested in anything with an engine He had many cars motorcycles and boats in his lifetime

Willis was predeceased by his father Willis Ashley Foley

Sr He is survived by his wife Karin and their won-derful array of horses Chihuahuas and Labradors He is also survived by his mother Aline Foley brother Gary W Foley and sister-in-law Marilyn W Foley of Markham VA As well as his nieces Mary-Elizabeth Roesch her husband Steve Roesch and their chil-

dren Annemarie and Ryan Roesch of Gainesville VA And Lauren Kulczyk her husband Kyle Kulczyk and their child Aiden Kulczyk of Shadyside OH

A Memorial Service will be held at Sudley United Methodist Church 5308 Sudley Road Manassas VA on June 22 2014 at two orsquoclock in the afternoon Interment will be private In lieu of flowers please consider dona- tions in Willisrsquo honor to Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities Inc 2520 Vestal Park-way East PMB313 Vestal NY 13850 Benefits will go towards an Active Duty Military Special Needs Child

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

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$500

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Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 10: June/July 2014

10 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

A frequent contributor Maurine will be traveling to

Normandy and reporting on the competition there

PHoToS CourTESy oF duTTA CorP

WEGBY MAURINE WEBB

NORMANDY

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 11: June/July 2014

11JuneJuly 2014

you and your horse have devoted

countless hours of practice sessions with

your trainer four years of local regional

and national endurance qualifying com-

petitions and both of you made the uS

Endurance Team and are going to the

WEg Congratulations

What is next for you and your horse

most likely you will book your airfare

hotel and rental car The WEg organiz-

ing Committee will provide you with four

nights of accommodationsmdashany longer

stay you must pay for out of the two-thou-

sand-dollar grant provided by the uSEF to

cover expenses The average cost for one

rider and two grooms is eight thousand

dollars

Now what about your horse He can-

not exactly make his own airline reserva-

tion and confirm a stall in Caen

The uSEF will provide you with trans-

GETTINGT H E R E

NORMANDY

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 12: June/July 2014

12 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

portation for your horse through the

dutta Corporation at an average cost of

$20000 to $25000 per horse This in-

cludes both air and land

First your horse must qualify for tem-

porary health papers for the European un-

ion This includes the following require-

ments

1 A negative Coggins test is needed

within 90 days of shipment

2 A vaccination for EEEWEE (East-

ern and Western Equine Encepha-

litis) is needed less than 30 days

but not more than 180 days prior

to export

3 only for stallions a negative test

result for Equine viral Arteritis

(EvA) is needed within 21 days of

export

4 All horses need to have a FEI

Passport breed registry papers or

uSEF papers as well as a copy of

these documents attached to the

health certificate

5 Each horse must have an addi-

tional certification that it either

was or was not vaccinated against

West Nile virus with an inactive

vaccine

After the prerequisites have been

met the reservations for the horsersquos

flights begin The horses will be shipped

in container-type stalls usually three to

a pallet They will be flown on 747 747-

200 747-400 and md-11 aircraft The

following airlines are the major carriers

Polar Air klm lufthansa martin Air El Al

or Fed Ex

If you desire one groom may accom-

pany your horse They have equine flight

attendants that will accompany your

horse to assure its comfort plenty of food

and water and companionship to allevi-

ate stress all personnel are experienced

horsemen and women The Endurance

Team will fly with its own veterinarian on

board

The dutta Corporation will take care

of all customs procedures They recom-

mend that you purchase insurance for

your horse as your horse is traveling at

the ownerrsquos risk Policies are underwrit-

ten for the following worldwide transit

12-month all risk mortality and colic sur-

gery

your horse will land at the liege Air-

port located in belgium known as ldquoThe

Flexportrdquo famous for its services tailored

to the needs of cargo operators and a real

alternative to congested restrictive and

prohibitively high-cost large airports

The horses will be met by representa-

tives of the gelissen Horse Transport

Company Then they will be unloaded and

transferred to large transport vehicles

similar in shape to giant rvs They will

precede to the private stables in Sartilly

Francemdasha journey of 400 miles or approx-

imately six hours

good luck to all the members of the

uS Endurance Team especially on their

one-day ldquomarathonrdquo of 160 km held on

August 28 2014 on a course that includes

a loop around the historic island of mont

St michel at low tide

Pallet containers with three container stalls inside each Container stalls loaded onto the plane

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 13: June/July 2014

13JuneJuly 2014

The FEI World Equestrian Games or the WEG are

the major international championships for eques-

trian sport The games are held every four years

halfway between the Summer Olympics and for

a period of two weeks in 2014 the dates are Au-

gust 23 to September 7 this year the games will

be held in Normandy France its headquarters in

Caen located two hours northwest of Paris and is

93 miles inland from the English Channel

The finest athletes from over 60 nations will

compete against each other in eight official FEI dis-

ciplines

bull Jumping (September 2-7) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Dressage (August 25-29) DrsquoOrnano Stadium

bull Eventing (August 28-31) Le Pin National Stud

bull driving (September 4-7) La Prairie racecourse

bull Endurance (August 28) Bay of Mont St Michel

bull Vaulting (September 2-5) Zenith

bull reining (august 25-30) Caen exhibition Center

bull Para-dressage (august 25-29) La Prairie race-

course

For more information go to

wwwnormandy2014com

Cargo plane typically used

gelissen Hore Transport Company vehicle in belgium

on their way to the stables in Sartilly France

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

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$500

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Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 14: June/July 2014

14 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

BIOMECHANICSA SERIES BY LISA MAY

All of usmdashhorses dogs and humans alikemdashhave uneven hab-

its of body use that can be seen by the trained eye in our stance

and the way we sit walk or run most of us have noticed a dog

trotting with his haunches out of alignment with his front end

We may notice unevenness in horses that have a preference for

cantering on one lead turn more easily in one direction reach

less or farther with a particular leg show irregularity in piaffe

or passage steps or demonstrate more ease crossing legs in one

direction for lateral work less frequently we notice unevenness

in ourselves muscles or joints on one side of our body tire before

the other side on a long walk up a steep hill calf measurement

for boots reveal more muscle bulk in one leg we favor one arm

for picking up heavy equipment

HOW CAN WE DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE CROOKED

Take a new viewpoint once a vet chiropractor or equine

body worker has ruled out physical pain or uneven development

in the horse consider another thought all of the irregularities

we are aware of in our horses are signs of crookedness we cannot

yet help them with we contribute to or we actually created The

horsersquos movement reveals to us our own patterns A horse that is

ridden by a crooked rider will repeatedly revert to crookedness

despite equine health professionalsrsquo best efforts

WHAT ARE THE SIGNSThe basics signs can be noticed in one or both directions in

one or more gaits or when jumping horses that tend to fall in or

out speed up slow down or become irregular in striding horses

that are hard to steer horses that land from a fence preferring

one lead and direction those that struggle with two-track work

SOLUTIONSOur crookedness can be dramatically improved first by devel-

oping a stable lower body foundation We can best use that sta-

bility by ensuring that the way we use our legs to balance around

the horse is the same on each side both legs coming out of the

pelvis at the same angle both feet and knee caps at the same

level and pointing in identical directions each thigh bone rotated

to the same degree inward to drape around the horse each thigh

bearing the same amount of weight

The lower body is a fairly simple apparatus compared to our

trunk The challenges of using the torso evenly are multiplied by

the flexibility or tension in the muscles around our pelvis and

in the multitude of tiny vertebral joints and complex layers and

combinations of muscles that contribute to stabilizing the trunk

MONICArsquoS STORYmonicarsquos primary concern was steering accuracy As I watched

Forty years ago Mary Wanless set out to discover what makes someone ldquotalentedrdquo Now with six books multiple DVDs and clinics worldwide her ldquoRide With Your MindrdquoTM (RWYM) method of rider coaching explains how we can shape the horsersquos athletic use of his body like

talented riders do Her pioneering work has seeped into that of many others who refer to ldquorider biomechanicsrdquo Wanlessrsquos strategies can be understood most clearly from the source

ldquoIs it my horse or am I crookedrdquo

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 15: June/July 2014

15JuneJuly 2014

her ride I saw that she had a subtle pattern of sitting slightly

off to the left with her left foot lower To compensate for

that her upper body mildly leaned and twisted right She

carried weight in her stirrups and lacked skills for stabiliz-

ing her spine visually she seemed to carry more weight in

her left side where her seat bone and the foot were lower

However her horse turned more easily to the leftmdashmaking

it likely that Monica was pushing her left side off the horse

with her stronger right side and primarily bearing weight on

her right seat bone

In answer to my assessment questions she described the

following

At a halt 1) right foot heavier in stirrup right seat-bone

heavier and more ldquopointedrdquo in saddle 2) right thigh more

snugged-in and more horizontal 3) left seat bone further

forward and further from the center of saddle In the walk

1) chin to right of mane and chest facing right in both di-

rections and even more pronounced for each when trave-

ling right and 2) more contact with right hand which stayed

drawn back closer to her body In the trot and canter she

felt less stable when traveling left As I systematically led

her through this Monica herself noticed it was significantly

Continued on page 27

Coming 7 year old CMK Arabian Gelding 15 hands Loads of potential Domino has gone on several trail rides as well as doing arena work He was started by a professional trainer Domino is very athletic and would make an excellent endurance prospect but could also do dressage or jumping He loads in a trailer easily and goes through water He has four crosses to Abu Farwa Domino has a nice temperament but is not a beginnerrsquos horse Sale Price $490000 Contact Patti Lopez via e-mail at srvrarabaolcom or contact via phone at 541-771-2812

FOR SALE

Mary Wanless assisting a rider with improvements to pelvis and torso patterning at halt

Our seat and torso crookedness pose challenges for horsesrsquo balance and movement

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

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Offers for your consideration

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Page 16: June/July 2014

16 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

bel rambo (bo Alia x mistaire) is a 1986 Arabian gelding that

started his show career as an Arabian English Pleasure horse

but his career changed in 1991 At a region 15 Arabian show a

dressage show was being held two rings over The horses had a

natural way of going versus the animated way of going that was

developing in the Arabian English Pleasure Classes borsquos owner

did not know anything about dressage and was intrigued with the

classes and horses After some research borsquos career was changed

to dressage

bo competed to Third level in regular dressage classes and

the musical Freestyle was where he excelled The highlight of

borsquos career was when he starred in the dancing with Horses mu-

sical Production at the 2002 uSdF Symposium as the character

ldquoRafikirdquo

After this production he was retired to the farm Prior to this

John Weir

Century Club

Century Club ride bo had been retired for 11 years However

when he was cleaned up and the saddle placed on his back he

knew his job and was very happy to show everyone that the ldquoold

man can still dancerdquo

John Weir rode cowboy style as an adolescent After a 15-

year hiatus he began again when his daughter debra became

interested in horses and riding He has had special interest in

eventing dressage and trail classes He and his horse The Windy

dude were Wisconsin dressage amp Combined Training Associa-

tion Champions at Training level in eventing in 1991 and reserve

Champion Area Iv uSCTA the same year

When his current eventing horse developed lameness in Jan-

uary 2013 he thought he was retired from riding However the

chance to take bel rambo into the Century Club brought him out

of retirement with enthusiasm

The Century Club recognizes Dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or more Horse and rider perform a Dressage test of any level at a Dressage show or event and are scored by a Dressage judge or professional

Thank you to the Dressage Foundation for allowing us to reprint their Century Club ridersrsquo stories To find out more about The Century Club visit wwwdressagefoundationorg

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

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Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 17: June/July 2014

17JuneJuly 2014

Judy Wagley remembers riding her grandfatherrsquos work horse

dolly back and forth from the barn pulling the fork to raise the

hay into the mow she would have been about five years old Her

course was set life might be going on around her but horses

were always in the back of her mind

When she was about 10 her father a small town funeral di-

rector accepted a horse as partial payment on a bill and Judy

was a proud owner of a beautiful black mare named Nancy bess

bess was stabled in a barn

on the edge of town and

Judy spent many days wan-

dering through town and on

the nearby country roads

an even at a local racetrack

on days when there was no

activity When Judy entered

junior high school she

didnrsquot have time to ride and

to care for bess so bess was

retired to a farm and Judyrsquos

life took another path

She met her husband

Tom at ball State university and they married and moved to San

Francisco then to Cleveland and eventually back to muncie by

that time they had a son and thought they would like country

life so they found 15 wooded acres just outside of town that had

a house and barn Judyrsquos father once again thought she should

have some kind of horse and bought them a matched pair of sil-

ver dapple Shetland poniesmdasha mother and daughter

It wasnrsquot long until Judy had bought another black mare this

one in-foal and then their second son was born They lived in the

country 11 years with horses ponies rabbits cats and pet chick-

ens during this time Judy spent more time feeding and cleaning

stalls than riding and as the boys became more active they de-

judy wagleycided to give up country life and move to town

Judyrsquos second love is music She was a choir member and so-

loist in her own methodist church soloed from time to time in

other churches and even was a modestly paid soloist at the Jew-

ish temple for 25 years She is an early member of masterworks

Choralemdashthe civic chorus that has recently celebrated its 30th

year She reentered the office work force that she had left to be

at home with her children as office manager of the newly formed

chorus

Tom decided to leave

his 22-year position with a

bank as vP and Investment

Officer to form his own in-

vestment firm with a part-

ner and Judy managed that

office for 20 years until she

retired and remained very

busy with volunteer work

and friends

Casting about for ideas

to entertain her teenage

granddaughter for a week-

long visit in the summer she decided to try riding lessons It

was this contact with Whispering Pines Equitation Center that

opened the world of dressage to Judy Her first horse there was

a Haflinger mare and in about a year Judy decided to look for a

horse with more some dressage training and a better work ethic

Through friends she heard of this grey Arab gelding that had

been abandoned at a stable by his owner and was now legally

for sale by the stable If he had papers they were lost along with

the owner but his willing spirit and smooth canter was just what

Judy was looking for She gave him the name of Sweet William to

reflect his personality

Continued on page 27

Century Club

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

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this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

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Page 18: June/July 2014

A STORY OF

HEART

On July 21 2013 at 421 in

the morning 11-year-old

Echcentric dPA (aka Wil-

lie) carried bobbi Walker

across the Western States 100 endurance

ride finish line also known as the Tevis

in 50th place bobbi and Willie had been

on the trail for 21 hours 6 minutes at that

time

Who could have dreamed that Ech-

centric dPA would complete the tough-

est 100-mile endurance ride especially

knowing of the devastating injury he had

to overcome Those who have believed in

Echcentric dPA have never been disap-

pointed and this is his story of heart from

the eyes of billie Jo morley and bobbi

Walker

In december of 2002 a young Arabian

stud colt came to live with billie Jo ldquobJrdquo in

Albany oregon Echcentric dPA was bred

by kristi and Janel Hopp of dellesta Park

Arabians (EA Echstravagant x magics Cha-

risma) When BJ pulled open the trailer

doors a big dark-eyed baby looked down

at her and stepped into the center of her

heart

BY BILLIE JO MORLEY amp BOBBI WALKER

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 19: June/July 2014

19JuneJuly 2014

In the fall of 2004 Echcentric dPA was

injured in a trailer accident in Washington

State He severed his medial collateral lig-

ament down low and suffered from a se-

vere bone infection He almost had to be

put down But through the careful atten-

tion of Janel Hopp and her vet dr Hank

oliver the young horsersquos life was saved

It was decided to turn him out to pas-

ture to heal at Janelrsquos He stayed there

until the age of four when bJ brought him

back to Oregon BJ was told that he might

be able to do some trail riding but more

likely he would be a pretty pasture pet

billie Jo really did not care she just want-

ed him to be with her

When bJ got him home to oregon

she consulted with a couple of vets to

help determine how to proceed She was

told to work him at liberty and to keep

him from running around on any hills He

stayed sound so she then decided to

start him under saddle He took to it well

he was all about going forward billie Jo

would do arena work with him and then

ride him down the road He loved being

out and was not afraid of anything

bobb

i and

Will

ie c

limbi

ng th

e ic

onic

Cou

gar

rock

dur

ing

the

2013

Tev

is C

up

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

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tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 20: June/July 2014

20 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Through the end of his 4th year she

continued to do arena work and light trail

work Through all of this he never showed

a lame step Billie Jo felt a great deal of

hope that he could do more than being

ridden lightly

during his 5th year she started rid-

ing him longer distances BJ decided she

would try endurance with him bJrsquos good

friend Kara Henry rode him in that first

endurance season He did three rides that

year two 25 milers and a 30-mile ride He

completed all three with flying colors In

his last ride that year bandit Springs in

Central oregon bJ told kara to go ahead

and open him up and see how he could

do He rose to the occasion

Through the next couple of years bJ

decided to show and trail ride Echcen-

tric only By the end of his 7th year it was

evident that he hated arena work At that

point bJ decided to send him down to her

friend kararsquos place and she would ride

him back on the endurance trek

kara did several 25 and 30-mile rides

on him that season He completed all of

them He showed such talent for endur-

ance that bJ felt an endurance home was

the best fit for him This is where Bobbi

Walker his current owner came into the

picture and Echcentric found the home

where his potential could be met

In 2010 bobbi Walker was looking for

a horse capable of doing the difficult Te-

vis Cup 100-mile ride billie Jo and kara

were certain that Echcentric dPA had

what it took but bobbi was also looking

for a level-headed reliable horse that she

could ride with her rheumatoid Arthritis

kara assured bobbi that he had a good

mind and was a horse that ldquoa grandmoth-

er could riderdquo

So at the age of eight Echcentric dPA

came to live with bobbi Walker in Helena

montana bobbi found the name Echcen-

tric a bit intimidating so his barn name

became Willie a ldquogood old boyrsquos namerdquo

bobbi and Willie began conditioning

for the Tevis but after three years found

it difficult to stay in condition given the

short riding season in montana So in Feb-

Willie and Bobbirsquos official RiderHorse picture at the Tevis

bobbi and Willie at the 2013 AErC National Championships

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 21: June/July 2014

21JuneJuly 2014

ruary of 2013 bobbi said ldquoSee you this

summerrdquo to a very supportive and under-

standing husband and Willie said good-

bye to his 20-acre pasture and leisurely

winter life and they took off for Southern

California in a pickup truck camper and

two-horse slant

during the winter of 2013 bobbi and

Willie conditioned on the Pacific Crest

Trail (PCT) and other wonderful trails in

the Southern California area They attend-

ed endurance rides traveled to Northern

California and practiced on the Tevis trail

When the date of the 2013 Tevis Cup

arrived on July 20 Willie was in peak

condition and was ready to run the Tevis

Those who had cared for him throughout

his life were there as crew to take care of

Willie during the Tevis billie Jo who has

loved Willie since he was a six-month-old

colt was there to groom him and trot him

out for the vets kara who initially con-

ditioned Willie for endurance was there

to take care of his legs bobbi was there

to share the trail with him and guide him

down the trail bobbirsquos Willie and bJrsquos Ech-

centric dPAmdashonce a badly injured two-

year-old with a questionable futuremdashwas

now a great athlete and a majestic Tevis

Cup finisher

After the Tevis Cup completion Willie

went on to place 25th in the 2013 AErC

National Championship 100-mile ride at

City of rocks in Idaho

But Willie is not finished Keep your

eye open for him He and bobbi will be

riding in the mt Adams 100-mile ride in

Washington State in may 2014 and plan

to compete in the Tevis once again on Au-

gust 9 2014 and billie Jo will be there to

crew for her beloved Echcentric dPA

Crossing the finish line at Tevis

This year at the bar H endurance ride

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

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Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

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Free delivery to

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

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Page 22: June/July 2014

22 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

often looking a bit ldquooutside the boxrdquo can suggest solutions

to what initially seem to be formidable challenges For those of

us striving to breed Arabians for sport horse ability the project

can seem like entering uncharted territory since both perfor-

mance records and breeding data relating directly to sport disci-

plines are fragmented and incomplete in comparison to what is

available to Warmblood breeders kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book

North American Sport Horse breeder reveals a few tools that can

be used as part of building a strong breeding program

The book covers two intersecting topics in three sections

and is an expansion of content originally published as articles

The first section of the book is focused on examining the largely

overlooked continuous history of breeding for sporting horses

(racing under sad-

dle harness racing

and fox hunting)

that started in the

uS from colonial

times and how that

breeding tradition is

directly tied to mod-

ern breeds like the

morgan the Saddle-

bred the American

Thoroughbred the

Standardbred and

the quarter Horse

The interconnect-

edness of the roots of all these breeds and the ways in which

the lineages diverged in response to regional circumstances and

changing market needs is fascinating The author makes a com-

pelling argument that sport ability is present in the gene pools

of these uS based breeds and is available to be tapped by sport

horse breeders The concept of tapping into the gene pool by sys-

tematic selection over generations to strengthen the sport horse

capability that already exists in a population is applicable to Ara-

bian sport horse breeders

The second core topic of the book discusses strategies for

breeding sport horses with a particular focus on applying the

pedigree building concepts developed by the Thoroughbred

master breeder Federico Tesio to sport horse breeding Tesiorsquos

method of breeding for ldquopedigree powerrdquo is a tool to developing

prepotency in breeding programs Tesiorsquos system is both com-

plex and nuanced but the basic principles spring from patterns

of linebreeding that he noticed in many of the top performers

and best producers linebreeding has long been understood to

ldquofixrdquo traits and establish pre-potency via increased homozygosity

in the gene pairs quite often when people think of linebreeding

it is in regard to a single ancestor or perhaps a pair of ancestors

What Tesio tapped into with his system was that the best

linebreeding practices balanced individual ancestral ele-

ments via inclusion of male and female direct offspring of that

line included complementary lineages that were also pre-

sent in sex-balanced representations and were built in lay-

ers throughout the pedigree He also identified the 4th -6th

generations of a pedigree as the ldquoengine roomrdquo because pat-

Reading ReflectionsA Series By Dawn Jones-Low

Books have always been important to me As a child I spent countless hours reading at home and at the public library Growing up in the suburbs in a non-horsey family books were also my main entryway to the

world of horses and provided fuel for my dreams Several decades into adulthood books are still a treasure to me as they continue to inspire and inform all areas of my life ndashincluding riding and horsemanship

Sport Horse Breeding System

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

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Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 23: June/July 2014

23JuneJuly 2014

terns of linebreeding and complementary nicks present in

those generations showed a high correlation with the traits

expressed in the individual as well as predicting how that indi-

vidual was likely to breed forward Horses that lacked balanced

thoughtful linebred ldquopowerrdquo in the engine room sometimes

got lucky in the genetic draw and could be great performance

horses but they often failed to reliably pass on their talents

much of the content regarding analyzing pedigrees and creating

the next generation of performance horses and breeding horses

by reinforcing and balancing lineages in pedigrees contain infor-

mation and insights that can be of use to serious breeders of Ara-

bian sport horses ldquoWhether you are using pure or mixed-bred

sport horses as your breeding stock you will achieve success if

you identify the superior sport horse bloodlines and concentrate

these over time bloodlines emerge that have the potency and

proven ability for sport our premise here is that using those

talented bloodlines in combination with the new statistically

proven breeding practices presented here will result in a great

competitorrdquo (pg 97)

kirsan writes ldquoSo then what does sport horse breeding

mean A sport horse breed by definition must be a breed devel-

oped by selection of traits for performance in a particular sport

So it follows that sport horse breeding must then be the process

of creating sustaining and improving a breed suited for a par-

ticular sportrdquo (pg 3) The genesis of the term ldquosport horserdquo (a

direct translation from the german ldquosportpferderdquo) is that the per-

formance standards of the sport horse disciplines are what de-

termine the classification as a ldquosport horserdquo not standards tied to

any particular breed so there are many different breed standards

that express sport horse ability

While European Warmbloods have risen to dominate the

sport horse world sport horse traits exist in many breeds ndash in-

cluding the Arabian ldquoAn equinersquos importance to the sport horse

world is measured more on its ability in sport rather than the

brand or registry name it may or may not carryrdquo (pg 95) This

is a critically important point to understand In the sport horse

world riders are seeking mounts that have the physical and men-

tal qualities that correlate with the ability to move up the levels

of a sport discipline For the majority of these riders breed is

not the primary criteria they want a horse that is a good match

for their personal goals in their preferred sport If Arabian sport

horse breeders can reliably produce horses that possess the

athletic talent long term soundness and trainability that riders

desire then the demand for these horses will increase and bring

more people to appreciate the wonderful qualities that Arabians

bring to the table

breeding is as much art as science and there are many

PIPI

LON

GST

OC

KIN

GS

PHO

TO

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

Chocolate Black

and Yellow puppies

$500

English Labs for Sport Service Therapy amp Love

Karin Foley bull 716-244-8659 bull Email

Blind Squirrel Labradors

Free delivery to

PA MD WV VA NC SC

Make a $50 tax-deductible donation to Borrowed Freedom or Arabian Rescue Mission and receive the Friends amp Family discount of just $400

PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

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Offers for your consideration

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Page 24: June/July 2014

24 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

strategies and tools that a breeders may utilize in the quest to

produce better horses in each successive generation For sport

horse breeding the first step is to identify sets of lineages that

produce the structural performance and temperament traits that

are desirable for high-level performance potential in the target

sport horse discipline(s) ldquoIn order to increase our percentage of

successful sound and serviceable sport horses we should breed

from stock that is suited to these sports and construct well bal-

anced line-bred genotypes building strength in proven transmit-

ters of sport talent Then we will not only win more often but we

will also be able to consistently produce a better and sound sport

prospectrdquo (pg 144) Since performance records for Arabians as

sport horses are fragmentary current breeders of Arabian sport

horses must supplement whatever performance records exist

with knowledge of the specific traits that are highly associated

with sport performance ability and which bloodlines tend to reli-

ably produce those traits (perhaps family line ldquoArdquo is particularly

good at producing big hocks and strong loins sire ldquobrdquo produces

offspring with good jumping form and plenty of scope family line

ldquoCrdquo is known for correcting a narrow stance behind etc)

Study is necessary to detect the patterns of association with

traits and bloodline sources as well as combinations of blood-

lines that are complimen-

tary Which specific fam-

ily lines a breeder selects

initially will vary with

their preferences goals

and ability to access suit-

able breeding stock but

the key is to start with

horses that already have

pedigree patterns that

reflect systematic breed-

ing choices for sport horse

type traits over genera-

tions and then ldquohellipwe

should aim to consolidate

a very few good sport

bloodlines to serve as a

base If your foundation

is strong you can build out

generations from there in

many different directions In our programs we should concen-

trate on making each layer or generation of sport transmitters

solid before we move on that way there will always be a lasting

background strength or type that will carry through [to succes-

sive generations] (pg 30)

ldquoThe lesson for us It is important to build up a background

potency in the best sport lines with full sibling configurations

the most potent as well as providing a focal genetic point for all

that power closer up This is what the statistics have shown it is

only the great horses that have a closer refocusing of the great

power lines in the background If the re-concentration of the

background power lines does not occur then we find the potency

fades with each succeeding generation displaying less Full-sib-

lings sex-balancing complexity in the lines and the closer con-

duits of the concentration are needed the design of the pedigree

you create makes all the difference Otherwise you will not see

the type in your foals This is what the statistics have proven and

this is what we need to implement in our programs to get the

results we wantrdquo (pg 378)

To illustrate how to build a Tesio type pedigree herersquos a hy-

pothetical cross that I may do in my own breeding program if the

young stallion and the filly mature as I expect them to do

Continued on page 26

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$500

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

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Page 25: June/July 2014

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PLAY IT FORWARD PROMO

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 26: June/July 2014

26 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

The resulting foal would trace to a daughter and son of Nai-

bara Blaze Man a stallion that produced offspring with strong

structure and balance and great minds and a daughter and son

of AF Vanitys Repeat who produced offspring with spectacular

shoulders elasticity fluidity and elegance Naibara Blaze Man

is a close refocuser of multiple athletic branches of the Raffles

bloodlines and AF vanitys repeat is a close up representative

of Oran Raffles and Oran are two ldquopower linesrdquo further back in

both pedigrees In addition to those specific target lines there

are complimentary lines to other transmitters of sport horse

movement and athleticism

Successful use of a Tesio type breeding strategy goes far

beyond just repeating particular ancestors it also includes con-

sideration of bringing in unrelated lineages that will reinforce

or balance the concentrated bloodlines as needed ldquoStudy and

experience has shown me that one of the best pedigree designs

you can develop will contain not only the key interaction with the

target bloodline but also independent pedigree strength in the

potential mateldquo (pg 163) The hypothetical cross in the example

above has not yet been done but it adheres to the fundamental

principles of Tesiorsquos pedigree power building model As with any

planned breeding only time will tell if it works as hoped but ex-

perience with close relatives of these two youngsters and with

other nicks of the component core lineages suggests some clarity

of potential outcomes The key is that because of the way breed-

ing choices have been made over several generations the most

likely outcomes should possess strong sport horse traits within a

predictable range of expression

Arabians have been transmitters of sport horse traits since

the early development of the sport horse disciplines There are

multiple sources of sport horse traits across all Arabian bloodline

groups which provide breeders with a rich selection of possibili-

ties around which to build their individual breeding programs

kathleen Hiney kirsanrsquos book North American Sport Horse

Breeder offers insights into how to take those ancestral sources

and breed them forward to successfully preserve the most de-

sirable qualities inherent in those lines by producing offspring

that will not only exhibit those qualities but continue to transmit

them to their descendants

Continued from page 24

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

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this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

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Page 27: June/July 2014

27JuneJuly 2014

easier for her to advance her left pelvis ldquoI turn left without mak-

ing her fall out but I make her fall out when I turn rightrdquo

Monicarsquos first steps toward greater symmetry were learning

to 1) rotate her thighs further inwardmdash enabling her to bear more

weight in her thighs than stirrups and 2) use her breathing and rib

cage to increase the muscle tone of her torso

over time her crookedness became nearly invisible to my

eye but still affected her horse at times I helped her reposition

her pelvis and notice tiny differences in thighs and feet to correct

her foundation monica expressed ldquomy left seat bone now feels

heavier than the right It feels as if itrsquos on the right side of the sad-

dle I feel as if Irsquom tipping off the left siderdquo She named the new

feelings ldquotwist left or lean leftrdquo to place equal weight in her left

seat bone She then encapsulated the changes into trigger words

for the feeling ldquoheavy twisted treerdquo (high torso tone and equally

weighted left seat bone) and ldquoleft spinrdquo (emphasizing left thigh

inward rotation) I then positioned her body into the complete

opposite extreme of the old error The great contrast she felt rid-

ing this extreme contortion gave her confidence as she returned

to the new placement (which now felt less exaggerated) ldquoI have

to imagine Irsquom riding just the leftrdquo said monica

With the visual help of cone ldquolandmarksrdquo and my prompting

with her chosen trigger words monica successfully helped her

horse stay straight and make accurate turns in both directions in

all gaits In her words ldquoWell I canrsquot exactly say Irsquom glad the main

problem is memdash but it does make it within my power to change

which is a plus It takes the mystery out of why I couldnrsquot steer

accuratelyrdquo

bull bull bull

So yes we are all crooked in some way but since we live in

these crooked ldquohousesrdquo we rarely discover that our own crook-

edness may be patterning that of our horses or contributing to

the common crookedness we share with them Just like a missing

filling can feel like a chasm changing our physical pattern usu-

ally feels completely and bizarrely wrong It takes help to assess

and change the irregularities that feel like home in our bodies

We can use our own anatomy to communicate to the horse a

streamlined framework for movement Find out more about these

strategies for using the brain to communicate with horses through

behavioral science and biomechanics Therersquos a wealth of informa-

tion at wwwMary-Wanlesscom including coaches worldwidemdashwith

five in the USA at wwwRideWithYourMindUSAcom and two in Can-

ada

Lisa May the first accredited US RWYM coach has been working

with Wanless since 1997 and Horseman Mark Rashid since 2000

wwwMarkRashidcom Also a Professional Association of Thera-

peutic Horsemanship International instructor she travels for clinics

from her home in Maryland and assists riders anywhere by way of

video critique wwwIdylwildFarmcom

Continued from page 15

biomechanics

Judy generally rides four days a week including her lesson

day Judy and Willie have ridden in two schooling shows up to

Introductory 3 and are now working on Training level 1 which

is very exciting but the full picture includes the camaraderie of

the riders at Whispering Pines and the infinite patience of the

trainerowner dena robertson It truly took a ldquovillagerdquo through

the years to get Judy and Willie into that ring on october 5 for

their Century ride

Continued from page 17

Century Club

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 28: June/July 2014

28 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

YOUNGR I D E R S

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 29: June/July 2014

29JuneJuly 2014

We know that getting young people involved with horses at an early age and giving them a posi-tive experience can create a life-long dedication riding horses can increase self-esteem develop a good work ethic and improve character

Trainers and parents can utilize

these components to establish positive outcomes in every aspect of their childrsquos life through les-sons learned with horsesThe horse industry depends upon the next generation to carry on the proper horseman-ship that will ensure its future is healthy and viable our Arabian

Sport Horses while establishing themselves as a popular choice of mount will require strong leader-ship to continue this growthThe following in no particu-lar order is just a small sampling of young riders who are showing great promise of leading the Ara-bian-bred Sport Horse

the Next Gen

Pictured Alex desiderio lynn kaufman photo

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

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Offers for your consideration

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Page 30: June/July 2014

30 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

This statement made when she

was only six years old sums up

young madison Wintersrsquos life She

has never shied away from a challenge

and will never back down Her determi-

nation is making her a formidable young

competitor in equestrian sport

madison began riding Welsh ponies at

the age of three entering and winning her

first lead-line competition at three-and-a-

half She went on to win the Sacramento

Horsemanrsquos Association summer series

lead-line high point award that summer

as well as the summer after She contin-

ued to show lead-line for another three

years although she was always disap-

pointed with judges who would award all

of the competitors blue ribbons ldquoI want

to know how I didrdquo she would protest

A photo of her in two-point over poles

at the age of five was featured in George

morrisrsquos jumping clinic in Practical Horse-

man magazine

once madison began entering walk-

trot competitions she was always in the

ribbons often bringing home blues She

won the Sacramento Area HunterJumper

Association gold Award when she was

eight years old be-

fore moving into

the short stirrup

division Although

madison thoroughly

loved jumping po-

nies she couldnrsquot

get enough of her

auntrsquos Arabian geld-

ing Silver Shadow

kW (Amigo) as well as the other Arabians

at Amigorsquos dressage barn

Proving her versatility madison would

show ponies at the local hunterjumper

shows while taking dressage lessons si-

multaneously In 2011 at the age of eight

madison showed rita masonrsquos grand Prix

Anglo-Arabian mare Athena+++ at sev-

eral rated 3 shows at Intro level in the

I like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as much ldquo

ldquo

MADISONWiNTERS

by Heather Shirley | Photos by grey Horse Photography

maddie jumping quicksilver Sassy Sienna at Starr vaughn Equestrian in the short stirrups age nine

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 31: June/July 2014

31JuneJuly 2014

10-and-under division She ended up the

AHA region 3 Intro 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2012 madison got the opportunity

to ride and show Stanley ranch-bred Cay-

ennne a beautiful Spanish Arabian mare

madison took Cayennne to the 2012

Western States Horse Expo and rode her

in the Arabian demonstration all three

days of the expo madison showed Cay-

ennne at the California Nevada Arabian

Sport Horse Association sport horse show

scoring a 7344 in Intro 10-and-under

madison maintained her title that year as

the AHA region 3 10-and-under cham-

pion

In 2013 madison showed her auntrsquos

gelding Amigo in Sport Horse under Sad-

dle at the AHA region 3 Championships

Amigo totally in love with madison per-

formed beautifully and the two were

quite the pair scoring a reserve Cham-

pionship JTr and a Top 5 in the ATr class

(madison was the only junior in the ATr

class) This was only madisonrsquos second

time showing Amigo

The summer of 2013 brought another

opportunity for madisonmdashthe chance

to finally have her own Arabian horse

Stanley ranchrsquos Xenya became madisonrsquos

pride and joy Trained in jumping dres-

sage and driving Xenya embodies the

versatility of the Arabian horse madi-

son has taken Xenyarsquos versatility and her

own to a whole new level by chasing her

dream of becoming a 3-day eventer

Although madison wants

to show Xenya in both jump-

ing and dressage on the Ara-

bian show circuit her true

passion has quickly become

eventing on may 4 2014

madison and Xenya both 11

years old entered their first

horse trials which was a one-

day event

This means madison and

Xenya had to show dressage

stadium jumping and cross-

country jumping all in the

same day They both rose to the occasion

coming in third and finishing with confi-

dence and plenty of energy left Xenya

is a fantastic teacher for madison chal-

lenging her just enough to keep her on

her toes while remaining a steady honest

mount madison takes it all in stride re-

membering her revelation five years ago

ldquoI like riding difficult horses lsquocause if you

only ride easy horses you wonrsquot learn as

muchrdquo

Amigo and maddie age eight This photo was used for the cover of the book One Unicorn Wish

maddie age eight competing on Athena++++ Xenya and Maddie at their first horse trials

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

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tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 32: June/July 2014

32 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Elizabeth graves now 10 years old

was born into a horse riding and

showing family As the story goes

when her father saw the ultrasound and

realized his first-born was to be a girl

he said ldquogreat now I have to buy her a

ponyrdquo Elizabethrsquos mom kimberly graves

started riding at six years old and Eliza-

beth followed in her footsteps Kimberly

grew up riding on the open hunterjump-

er circuit and now rides her Arabians and

Half-Arabians on the Arabian circuit in

sport horse and working hunter classes

Her aunt Alexis doughty is a well-

known amateur rider on the Arabian show

circuitmdasha ten-time National Champion

in sport horse and working hunter class-

es Her other aunt Dr Christine Smith is

a veterinarian and is always there to sup-

port the horses in their veterinary needs

Elizabethrsquos grandparents own bay-

view Farm a 490-acre horse farm in Cape

Charles on the eastern shore of virgin-

ia Bayview Farm is the base of operations

for the horse riding and showing family

who travels to about 25 A-rated shows

per year including several Arabian re-

gional Championships and Arabian Sport

Horse Nationals

Elizabeth got her first pony a welsh-

cross named lilly for

her third birthday and

she has been riding ever

since Lilly served as a

wonderful lead-line and

walk-trot pony for Eliza-

beth Elizabeth and Lilly

showed in lead-line at

prestigious open hunt-

erjumper shows such

as the Washington International Horse

Show

Elizabeth then moved up to her first

Arabian pony valentine of Fame that

she showed in local schooling shows and

a few main-ring walk-trot classes at Ara-

bian shows Then Elizabethrsquos aunt Alexis

found an adorable yearling Half-Arabian

pony NT legacyrsquos Aiyana that Elizabeth

quickly named Daisy

daisy has turned into a dream horse

for Elizabeth and continues to be her fa-

vorite in the barn Elizabeth was right

there helping with daisyrsquos early train-

ingmdashlunging and long-lining daisymdashright

up through backing her and starting to

work in the round pen and eventually over

fences

Elizabeth has done quite a bit of the

training herself under the watchful eye of

her aunt and mom It has not always been

an easy pathmdashas many riders know green

and green do not always equal bluemdashbut

it has been a tremendous learning experi-

ence for Elizabeth to bring along a green

elizabethgraves

Elizabeth and lilly in lead-line

by kimberly graves

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

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61JuneJuly 2014

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6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

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Offers for your consideration

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Page 33: June/July 2014

33JuneJuly 2014

pony Elizabeth and Daisy have grown

into quite a pair in the Arabian show hunt-

er ring

In 2013 Elizabeth was reserve grand

Champion 10-and-under of the virginia

Arabian Horse Association and Daisy won

a 4th and 6th place in the uSEF regional

awards for Half-Arabians in hunter hack

and sport horse under saddle

In addition to showing extensively on

the Arabian circuit Elizabeth and daisy

also showed in the Short Stirrup Equita-

tion and Short Stirrup Hunter over Fences

division at the vHSA Associate open hunt-

er jumper shows and earned an 8th and 9th

placing out of 20 at the vHSA Short Stir-

rup nine-and-under Championship show

in lexington vA in November 2013

Elizabeth at age 10 and daisy at age

five have accomplished quite a lot in their

past two years of showing together At

their first Sport Horse Nationals in 2013

they earned a National Top Ten in Hunter

Hack Junior Horse and competed in the

pony hunter division Also in 2013 they

earned three regional Championship

two reserve regional Championship and

three regional Top Five awards

In early 2014 Elizabethrsquos family

bought a three-year-old purebred Arabi-

an pony named glamorouz vTC nick-

named Izzy Elizabeth competed Izzy at

the NCAHAodAHA Arabian show in ra-

leigh in April of 2014mdashtheir first show

together There they won 2nd out of six

horses in sport horse walk-trot and were

also champion in the Arabian working

hunter cross rails Elizabeth and daisy

were Champion in the Half-Arabian pony

hunters at the same show Elizabeth is

very much looking forward to showing her

ponies at both Arabian and open hunter

shows throughout the year

bayview Farm is planning on taking

their first trip to Arabian Youth Nationals

this year and daisy and Elizabeth will be

competing in Hunter Hack Equitation on

the Flat and Sport Horse classes Elizabeth

is very excited to be competing in her first

Arabian Youth Nationals competition For

the future Elizabeth also has hopes of

qualifying in the pony hunter classes and

competing her ponies at the Pony Finals

in lexington ky

Elizabeth and daisy Elizabeth and daisy

Elizabeth and valentine Elizabeth and Izzy

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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61JuneJuly 2014

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Page 34: June/July 2014

34 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Given who her parents are Al-

exandria desiderio was certain

to have talent on a horse Her

father ricci grew up in an Arabian horse

family training and competing at a young

age Her mother Stephanie was a very

successful hunter rider

Alex started riding at the age of two

when most kids are not even thinking

about sports With two older brothers

mike and Anthony that were showing

horses Alex needed little added motiva-

tion If anything they helped her become

resilient and determined ldquoCompeting

against her older brothers has only given

her incentive to

rise to a chal-

lengerdquo says ricci

The desiderio fam-

ily has working together

down to a science Each child has a re-

markable work ethic instilled by their

parents through example ldquoThere are no

shortcutsrdquo says ricci ldquoAlex knows you

only get out of something what you put

into itrdquo

Well she must be practicing 247 be-

cause Alex has a show record that any pro-

fessional would envy 98 National titles

which include 43 Champions and 14 re-

serve Champions She won her first Youth

National Championship in Equitation 13

amp under in 2009

Winning the AHA youth High Point

Award at the age of 15 in 2010 Alex

racked up her 5225 points with the help

of three horses at 13 shows including

youth Nationals and Sport Horse Nation-

als She rode Simply Irrisistible+ (Ap-

ple Hill Ahrah x Stardancer) Tl Foolin

Around+ (JA baheem Sharaab x Irish)

and oration (dormane x ortie) as usual

to an impressive number of wins ldquoI didnrsquot

have any pressure to go out and win the

award it just came alongrdquo says Alex

Alexrsquos specialty is the Equitation di-

vision ldquoI love equitation because it is

the basis for effective ridingldquo says Alex

Considering that equitation is the most

popular junior division at hunter shows

it is also the most competitive due to the

challenging courses required The Na-

tional finals draw hundreds of riders each

year and a placing in the top ten is a major

accomplishment

Juggling both the hunter and Arabian

shows can be challenging In 2013 Alex

left youth Nationals after winning all 3 of

her Equitation classes for the 3rd year in a

row and headed to the uSEF Natrsquol Junior

Hunter Championships where she won

the WIHS Equitation Classic out of 44 en-

tries

While at Sport Horse Nationals that

same year Alex had to leave virginia

missing one day of classes to drive to

I love equitation because it is the basis for effective riding ldquo

ldquo

alexdesiderio

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

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Offers for your consideration

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Page 35: June/July 2014

35JuneJuly 2014

kentucky for a uSEF regional equitation

competition There she won the equita-

tion class out of 78 entries and placed 8th

in the maclay regionals

last fall Alex rode lego a warmblood

they had previously imported to a 9th

place in the PessoauSEF Hunter Seat

Equitation Finals in Harrisburg out of a

whopping 229 entries

An honor student Alex trains with both

of her parents as well as Andre dignelli

After attending West morris mendham

High School for her freshman year she

transferred to Penn Foster online High

School This allowed Alex to devote the

Alex showing Ser Imanask Alex on Hawaiian magic at Canadian Nationals 2006

Alex competing Half-Arabian Artikulate at the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals

copy T

HE

ARAB

IAN

SPO

RT H

ORS

E M

AGAZ

INE

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 36: June/July 2014

36 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

time necessary to both her riding and aca-

demics Now at 18 Alex is on the cusp of

adulthood She recently signed with Texas

Aampm to compete on their Equestrian Team

and will pursue a business de-

gree there

ldquoWe are thrilled to have

Alex join our Aggie familyrdquo

Associate Head Coach linzy

Woolf said ldquoAlex has really

proven herself as a versatile

rider with a competitive mind-

set through her experience rid-

ing and showing a wide variety

of horses which is why we feel

she will excel in the NCEA for-

mat of riding Her top-10 plac-

ing at the 2013 Pessoa Hunter

Seat medal Finals along with

her other national champion-

ship accolades on the Arabian

circuit indicate that she has a

competitive spark and edge

that will help push this team to

another championshiprdquo

Alex credits her familyrsquos

involvement with horses in

general and Arabians in particular for her

success in her horse show career ldquoriding

from a young age on these horses taught

me to ride more assertively and with more

finesserdquo says Alex ldquoIrsquom very fortunate to

have had this backgroundrdquo

Alex on lEgo at the Sussex County Show Photo courtesy of the desiderios

Alex with one of her astounding 43 National Championships Pictured on Tl Foolin Around

Alex and Casanova competing at old Salem Farm horse show The book llC photo

DO

N S

TIN

E PH

OTO

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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61JuneJuly 2014

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tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

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Page 37: June/July 2014

37JuneJuly 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 38: June/July 2014

holly amp drew

schnader

38 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

When a devoted horsewom-

an has children one of her

dreams is to pass on her

horse-loving gene to her children That

makes robin Schnader a very lucky wom-

an as both her daughter Holly and son

drew are very involved

robinrsquos love for Arabian horses start-

ed when she was a teenager ldquoSince they

are practically human and love communi-

cation without wordsrdquo

Holly 18 and drew 14 have lived

their entire lives on their parentsrsquo 30-

acre farm called Cedar valley Stables in

reinholds PA Holly rode in a papoose in

front of her mother on trails from the age

of one year mostly on robinrsquos purebred

mare Tr mikimoto

When Holly was 7 robin happened

across a cute Arabian gelding at New Hol-

land and bought him for a mere $500 So-

bari raxx whom they call ldquoCouragerdquo had

probably been abused at one time he was

head shy and skittish and preferred chil-

dren to adults After a lot of TlC he came

to trust robin but he adored Holly and

would follow her everywhere

A friend suggested showing him at

an Arabian show so Holly learned how to

show in halter Their first show Holly and

Courage placed first and were named Re-

serve Champion ldquoThat horse just took her

in and did all she wantedrdquo recalls robin

When Holly learned to ride and start-

ed showing in Walk-Trot Courage again

showed his heart when he would adjust

himself to help Holly maintain her bal-

ance He would maintain a frame and lis-

ten carefully to her cues The Schnaders

still have him at their farm where he is

doing his job taking care of children

Holly outgrew Courage quickly next

showing their purebred Ames Arrogent to

a State 4-H Championship in jumping in

addition to many East Coast regional ti-

tles Then darkcyde of The moon++++

or ldquoFloydrdquo came into their lives

The beautiful black ArabianFriesian

gelding was only 6 when they bought

him and Holly has learned so much from

him At first Floyd liked to run off with her

letting his flight instinct rule But as Holly

worked through his issues they became

a partnership learning patience and the

meaning of truly communicating as one

They also had to work on getting him

to actually achieve throughness as his

Holly and Floyd 2013 drew and khozmo 2013

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 39: June/July 2014

39JuneJuly 2014

prior training was counter-productive

Teaching him to go forward without

touching his mouth was the key It was

uphill from there and they have gone on

to win many regional and national titles in

sport horse and dressage classes

last year Holly went by herself to

youth Nationals as neither her trainer

nor robin could accompany her despite

an injured knee Holly and Floyd earned

a reserve National Champion in Training

level JoTr 14-18 missing the top placing

by mere fractions of a point ldquoIt was such

an achievement to prove to myself that I

could go to a show alone and still be suc-

cessfulrdquo says Holly

This year Holly and Floyd have

stepped up to Second level dressage and

are earning scores over 64 with open

shows thrown in for practice

drew loves animals deeply ndash not just

horses but anything on four legs Histori-

cally it is difficult to keep boys interested

in horses past a certain age They tend

to dislike the fussiness and just want to

have fun drew jumped Ames Arrogent for

a while then graduated to mikimoto He

showed in showmanship but it just wasnrsquot

his cup of tea

Then their mare mikimoto had her foal

by klint black and drew was in love He

and HS khozmik Enkhanted+++ devel-

oped an almost instant bond They start-

ed competing together a few years ago in

Walk Trot drewrsquos trainer lauren Annett

has helped the pair grow teaching him

to tune in to the ldquoconversationrdquo of riding

last year they rode in Intro C dressage

earning a reserve region 15 Champion-

ship in addition to Top 5s in Training level

and Sport Horse under Saddle

ldquoIrsquom a perfectionistrdquo said drew ldquodres-

sage is a fun sport and fits right in with

that I really like building on what I learn

each ride and making that progressrdquo His

Holly and Couragedrew and Ames Arrogent

Holly age 7 and Courage

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 40: June/July 2014

40 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

desire to please his trainer helped to get

him motivated to practice as well

With laurenrsquos help drew and khozmo

are now scoring in the 70s in Training

level and will move up to First level next

year ldquodrew totally lsquogets itrsquo with dres-

sagerdquo says robin ldquoIt is so beautiful to see

a horse and rider really connect like they

doldquo

Holly graduates with honors from

high school this year and will head to

James madison university on an roTC

scholarship to major in Intelligence Anal-

ysis drew is working on earning his Eagle

ranking in the boy Scouts participates in

FFA and Track and Field

ldquolearning to

connect and achiev-

ing the connection

that is the winning

not some ribbon or

plaque - those will

come Lauren instills

a work ethic that is

honest and full of

integrityrdquo explains

robin ldquoWe would not

change anything for

the world She is like

family and has a true

love for teaching the

right wayrdquo

Holly and Floyd at region 15 Championships 2013

Holly and Floyd 2013

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 41: June/July 2014

kaylalamison

41JuneJuly 2014

Kayla lamison has been riding at

Stone Hollow Sport Horses since

she was eight and a complete be-

ginner Typical of so many young girls she

loved horses and wanted the chance to be

able to learn to ride right from the start

she was a hard worker and very bravemdash

not bothered by the normal falls or hard

no-stirrup work that was asked of her

Throughout any kind of weather she was

there and I had to tell her mom to keep

her at home when the temps dropped too

low for a kid to ride

kayla was able to learn very easily

starting out right away with a beautiful

leg that developed into a strong position

with soft and flexible hands She loved

every horse in the barn and never com-

plained if her ride of the day might have

been one of the more difficult ones

Still as a walk-trotter kayla impressed

me with her determination and gutsiness

While practicing without stirrups she

tumbled off in what appeared to be a sim-

ple fallmdashher very first A few tears were

shed but she clambered back on and fin-

ished the ride Her mom called me that

evening to tell me that kayla mentioned

her arm was really hurting so they took

her to the doctor to discover she actually

had a fracture of course that involved

some rest and kayla was devastated that

she couldnrsquot ride for a few weeks

As kaylarsquos skills grew so did the height

of miranda the rider of kryptonite SC an

Arabian pony Having now outgrown kryp-

tonite (ldquoredrdquo) miranda wanted someone

to keep him in work and kayla was a

natural choice Though they were a great

match red tested his young rider time

and again They part-

ed company on more

than one occasion but

kayla dusted herself

off and carried on The

two grew together and

kayla was able to bring

out the best in this

little guy Now they

have become quite the

team

red and kayla have

made several ventures

into the show ring together with the

normal highs and lows but the highs are

outnumbering the lows as they find their

groove Their chance to show is limited

but kayla has made the most of it and

earned championships in pony hunters

hunter hack and equitation one of the

highlights for this rider was her very first

Sport Horse Nationals this past year where

the pair earned a well-deserved Top 10 in

the 142-and-under working hunter

kayla will be graduating from West-

mont Hilltop High School this June and

plans on attending the university of Pitts-

burgh at Johnstown as an engineering ma-

jor Why did she choose this school yes it

has an excellent engineering program but

it is also only six miles from Stone Hollow

kayla and red

by beth Thomas

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

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Page 42: June/July 2014

CAmillereedAHA High Point youth 2013

42 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

As someone whom has never

owned an Arabian horse Camille

reed managed to quickly make a

name for herself in the show world This

naturally talented 18 year old rose to

the top of the Arabian Horse Association

youth rankings to cinch the High Point

Championship for 2013

Camille started riding at the age of

15 just playing around with horses on a

plantation where they lived on St Thomas

and then again in at her current home in

georgia She really wanted to learn how

to jump and found a local Arabian barn

that taught lessons

Camille quickly outgrew that place

and migrated two years ago to Cynthia

Cubbagersquos farm Camille asked to be a

working student and despite being skep-

tical Cynthia took her on but she wasnrsquot

going to make it easy They worked out a

schedule whereby a few afternoons each

week would earn Camiille a lesson

Cynthia recalls ldquoI started right out

making her body clip two horses in the

first afternoon I figured that would make

or break her The poor kid stayed up until

9 that night getting all the stripes out and

they actually looked darn good the next

day I just knew I wouldnrsquot see her again

but she showed back up with bells onrdquo

Feeling guilty for the difficult start

Cynthia put Camille on a school horse

to test her riding skills Camille had only

cantered a few times and had no idea how

to get a horse on the bit ldquoby the end of

the ride she was jumping small fences

and had the old goat roundrdquo said Cyn-

thia ldquoShe is a bit of a freak athletically I

havenrsquot heard of a sport she canrsquot do wellrdquo

Camille swiftly went on to ride all

kinds of horses with tremendous skill and

feel According to Cynthia she is equally

adept with problem horses and green or

made horses helping to improve each of

them She has also studied horse manage-Camille and Have Another owned by laura gorden don Stine photo

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 43: June/July 2014

43JuneJuly 2014

ment as well taking home many of Cyn-

thiarsquos books in addition to perfecting her

hands-on experience at the barn

For these last two years Camille has

been mostly competing on Tracy lordrsquos

Arabian Tl loNE STAr and Anglo Arabian

No dIPlomACy plus laura gordonrsquos Half

Arabian HAvE ANoTHEr and his full broth-

er Traci mossrsquo HAvE ENougH There are a

few others that she shows occasionally as

well

They didnrsquot set out to earn AHArsquos

youth High Point but Camille says ldquoI just

rode what they told me to ride and it

all just fell into placerdquo She attended 27

shows which included 4 regional shows

and both youth and Sport Horse National

Championships Altogether Camille gar-

nered 3 reserve National Championships

11 National Top Tens 16 regional Cham-

pions and 9 reserves in 2013

of all the sport horse classes Camille

says she likes the hunters best ldquoItrsquos just

more thrillingrdquo she explains ldquoI do like

dressage too because of all of the think-

ing that goes into itrdquo

Plans for 2014 are to pursue High

Point horse awards sticking to the same

show schedule as last year including a

trip to youth and possibly Canadian Na-

tionals

After graduating from high school this

summer Camille has decided that she

will put college on hold to concentrate on

training horses feeling as though starting

now would give her an advantage

ldquoriding is truly Camillersquos passion and

she loves the show ring more than any-

thing I am looking forward to next year

where she will be included professionally

in my program here in Augusta gA and Ai-

ken SCrdquo says Cynthia

Camille is looking forward to being

a trainer after being so inspired by Cyn-

thiarsquos help ldquo my education with Cynthia

has been amazing She has taken me un-

der her wing and gone out of her way to

mentor merdquo says Camille ldquoShe has given

me so much and Irsquom very lucky to have

found herrdquo

As far as Arabians go shersquos happy to

stick with them ldquoTheyrsquore so smart and

can totally use that intelligence to help

you I really love it when I get to that point

in my partnership with a horserdquo Camille

explains ldquoThese horses have definitely

taught me the value of patience when

working with themrdquo

I just rode what they told me to ride and it all just fell into place ldquo

ldquo

Camille aboard Have Enough owned by Traci moss don Stine photo

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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61JuneJuly 2014

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Offers for your consideration

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Page 44: June/July 2014

caillefarm

Photos courtesy of Caille Farm

44 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Therersquos a little oasis in minnesota

that is turning out some terrific

young dressage riders on their

predominantly Arabian-bred horses

Caille Farm in monticello is owned by

Terry and barbara Whiteis where they of-

fer beginner through FEI level lessons and

training for riders of all ages

Barb bought her first Arabian in 1971

an unhandled 9-month-old Half Arabian

colt which she broke trained and showed

herself Her family bought a few more

horses which they showed on the Arabian

circuit all over minnesota Wisconsin and

the dakotas

barb started training horses profes-

sionally after high school working at Ara-

bian farms such as bentwood and lasma

later a local reining trainer rod mattheis-

en of Eleanorrsquos Arabians agreed to teach

her when the others wouldnrsquot due to fear

of competition The transition from that

to dressage came easily to barb She even

trained her rescued quarter horse up to

PSg and to a number one ranking of his

breed with uSdF

Along the way barb learned to fox

hunt drive event and whatever else a cli-

ent needed Although she worked with

all types of horses she still preferred the

Arabians training in Saddle Seat Western

Hunt Seat and eventually dressage barb

showed two stallions for doug Peterson

of regent Arabians earning a Canadian

reserve National Champion in basic 3

level dressage with regent Alabask

barb also taught at a riding school for

several years that used older retired Ara-

bians as their lesson horses When it was

time to open her own place barb found

Erin McCaffrey on Half-Arabian Strathspey (Derry) Reserve National Champions Fourth level 2011 youth Nationals Erin is now age 14

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 45: June/July 2014

45JuneJuly 2014

herself attracting children not adults

which was just fine with her With dres-

sage being a beginner-friendly discipline

it was a natural for her and her students

She acquired some older Arabians and

bred a few more for that purpose

The foremost reason barb likes dres-

sage is that a rider doesnrsquot need a fancy

horse to be competitive ldquoThe kids learn

that you ride what you wind up with no

matter what my students ride everything

on the place and they are better riders for

itrdquo

Her fondness for young riders is un-

mistakable ldquoThe great thing about kids is

that when you tell them they are going to

move up a level they say lsquookayrsquo and just

do it Same with their parents they just

go along with it because no one has told

them they canrsquotrdquo

A few years ago the Arabian dressage

shows in her area fizzled out since that

time barb and her students have been

competing at open dressage shows for

the most part

Half-Arabian Altan+ (regent Alabask

x Capercaille HanoASb) bred by barb

and owned and ridden by brenna orsquogara

competed at Third level last year and will

be doing Fourth level this year brenna

started riding with barb when she was

just seven and recently turned 18

Half-Arabian Strathspey (regent Ala-

bask x Shangi Surprise ASb) and then

11-year-old Erin McCaffrey earned a Re-

serve National Championship at Fourth

level and a Top Ten at Third at the 2011

youth Nationals barb says Strathspey will

do anything for Erin including one-tempi

changes Now 14 Erin and Strathspey are

competing at Third level

Ten-year-old Sophie botzet owns and

also rides Strathspey and will also com-

pete at Third level on her Sophie regu-

lary schools two-tempi changes with the

mare

melissa lund and her rescued Arabian

kS Fadls Phoenix whom we featured in a

previous issue are currently competing

at Intermediare b and have earned their

uSdF bronze and Silver medals melissa

and Phoenix are also giving Cowboy

mounted Shooting a try and doing it well

melissa has been riding with barb for 10

years

The kids learn that you ride what you wind up with no matter what ldquo

ldquo

barb Anderson Whiteis with her young students From right to left brenna orsquogara on Altan Strathspey with Sophie Botzet and Erin McCaffrey Melissa Lund on KS Fadls Phoenix Barb Anderson Whiteis

American Warmblood Niamh with rider Anna koch (I-1 level rider) and American Warmblood Callum with rider mackenzie kelly (4th level rider)

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 46: June/July 2014

46 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

barb has two 11-year-olds Jada Wickham andd Abbey Terp-

stra who are also competing on Half-Arabians now Jada with her

Chall We dance (magnum Chall HvP x Attachersquos miss kitty ASb)

and Abbey with her unregistered mare Tina

barbrsquos beloved schoolmaster purebred gelding Az-gym (Az-

rael x Babageym) who was many of her studentsrsquo first ride just

passed away last month at the ripe old age of 34 ldquoAnyone could

ride himrdquo says barb ldquoFrom 4-year-olds on uprdquo Az-gym even

attended youth Nationals in 1999 missing a Top Ten by mere

tenths of a point

Some of their horses sell to other students within barbrsquos barn

often more than once CSA Aribba (rF rambo Pinto x CSA Ari-

anna) started out with now bronze and Silver medalist Hannah

Thiesen and has since had several kids to teach the ropes to

barb herself is currently showing I-1 and Freestyle on her

own warmblood She has been training with mary beth Williams

for 20 years and routinely takes what she learns back home to

her students

When asked what is her secret to success is with so many

young riders barb says ldquoWe do a little bit of everything with our

horses trail riding team sorting Halloween and Christmas stuff

We have fun with our horses just like yoursquore supposed tordquo

Half-Arabian CSA Aribba with Hannah Thiesen aboard Hannah was Aribbarsquos first owner Hannah went on to become a Silver

medal PSg-level rider and also competed on Half-Arab Strath-spey (derry) Hannah is now a senior at the university of Iowa

34-year-old purebred Arabian schoolmaster Az-gym and four-year-old kaille Az-gym has been the Training level ride for many of barbrsquos young riders Az-gym and rider Cara kemnitz

competed Training level at the 1999 youth Nationals

brenna orsquogara and Altan competing

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

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61JuneJuly 2014

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Page 47: June/July 2014

michellefreeman

47JuneJuly 2014

Most agree that family is not just

an important thingmdashitrsquos eve-

rything For michelle Freeman

that couldnrsquot be more true especially

when it comes to her riding career

michelle is 20 and a student at South-

ern Illinois university majoring in Public

relations with a minor in business Her

parents Tom and linda Freeman own and

run grand Paradise ranch in Caseyville

Il linda had always been into Arabians

so michelle and her older sister Jessica

Fussner started out on them in leadline

before moving on to Western and Hunter

Pleasure About 6 years ago their focus

changed to sport horse disciplines

After Jessica came back home from

attending two equine colleges where

she had specialized in dressage she then

took an internship at a nearby dressage

farm StarWest michelle was the lucky re-

cipient of all of that education as Jessica

taught her everything she had learned

ldquoItrsquos so nice to have my trainer be my sis-

terldquo explains michelle ldquoIt was rough in

the beginning but shersquos my biggest sup-

porter and best critic Itrsquos fantasticrdquo

michellersquos equine partner is Arabian

gelding lP Snickers (Pasos Perfection x

lA lali) was purchased from a Craigrsquos list

ad in 2009 as a possible mount for one

of the students at their

farm michelle was

helping work through

his orneriness and fell

in love so they kept

him with michelle and

the student sharing

him

Snickersrsquo first

shows went really

well even qualifying

for Nationals where

he earned a Top Ten

in First level with Jes-

sica The following year in 2011 michelle

and Snickers went to youth Nationals and

came home with a reserve Champion in

First level

The sisters compete at Arabian and

open shows where their horses hold their

own against all breeds They train with

StarWest trainers martin kuhn and kate

Fleming-kuhn once a month to keep their

educations moving forward

michelle earned her uSdF bronze

Medal in 2014 in their first year at Third

level garnering the necessary scores in

their first two shows ldquoIt felt really good

knowing that all of our hard work was

worth itrdquo says michelle Their Third level

median score is an impressive 66192

ldquoI love everything about Arabiansrdquo

explains michelle ldquoIn dressage they can

go so far They are flashier and they try

so hard to do what you want I find them

more exciting to ride alsordquo

michelle plans to continue in dressage

with Arabians ldquoThere is always something

to learn you look back to last year and can

clearly see how much yoursquove improved I

just love having a hobby like thisrdquo She

and Snickers are riding Second and Third

level this year and will aim for Third and

Fourth next year

michelle expresses her gratitude over

and over ldquoIrsquom so lucky to have this situa-

tion I wouldnrsquot be where I am today with-

out my familyrsquos supportrdquo

michelle and lP Snickers

BOBT

ARR

COM

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

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this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

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Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 48: June/July 2014

by Alyssa Turnquist Photos courtesy of Alyssa Turnquist

48 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

My name is Alyssa Turnquist and I

am eighteen years old I am cur-

rently studying Animal Science

with an Equine Emphasis at the university

of Wisconsin-river Falls In spite of never

owning my own horse I chose this career

path to have the opportunity to work with

horses every day and someday purchase

my own I have loved horses for as long

as I remember and I believe this passion

stems from my mother Heidi Turnquist

She had Arabian horses growing up

and passed her breyer model horses onto

me which really sparked my interest and

led me to read every horse book that I

could get my hands on When I was about

seven years old we moved from madison

Wisconsin to a more rural area just north

of there in Sun Prairie

my new neighbors had Arabian horses

and I would spend a lot of time watching

them ride One day they offered to let me

ride and I began riding quite frequently

after that At the same time my grandpa

just started getting into riding and bought

his first mule before acquiring a few hors-

esmdashone of them being part Arabian It

was really unique to start our riding ca-

reers together and we still ride together

today

on my eleventh birthday my neigh-

bors gave me the best present ever They

offered to let me show the horse that I had

been riding for a few months Her name

was lkS Tadara and she was a beautiful

grey Arabian mare I competed in western

and hunt pleasure equitation and show-

manship at the local 4-H and open horse

shows She was not the easiest horse to

ride but she took care of me in the show

ring and taught me a lot of valuable les-

sons I showed her for five years and also

showed many other horses since then

I have had the opportunity to work

with numerous breeds but the majority

of the horses have been Arabians There

is just something about Arabians that I am

especially drawn to I love how versatile

they are and how they can be so flashy

alyssaTurnquist

Left Alyssa (age 11) with her first horse she got to show LKS Tadara

right Alyssa at Sport Horse Nationals 2013 with Al-marah So Powerful

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

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61JuneJuly 2014

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this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

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Page 49: June/July 2014

49JuneJuly 2014

and energetic yet gentle and graceful

Theyrsquore also very smart and demand a

partner who treats them with respect

Watching them run around freely and toss

their head and neck around with their tail

streaming behind them never gets old

my introduction into the Sport Horse

world did not come until last spring The

owner of a barn where I had been riding

melanie Erce called me up one day and

told me that she had passed my name

onto the owners of a little grey Arabian

mare and that they might be in need of a

rider I was shocked that she had recom-

mended me and tried not to get my hopes

up but to just be happy to have been con-

sidered

I had always dreamed of showing at

rated shows like some of my friends but

never actually thought it would happen A

couple weeks later however I received a

call from Tim Schaap and Jennifer Ham-

ilton from An Tearmann Arabian Sport

Horses I went out to their farm to test ride

a horse and the rest is history Since then

Irsquove learned a lot about Sport Horse and I

really like that all of these horses have a

specific job or jobs and are not just pretty

faces They have beauty brains and talent

In the fall of 2013 I started my college

career and tried out for the Intercollegi-

ate Horse Show Association Since I have

been riding different horses my whole

life I thought I would be a great addition

to the team

After tryouts and an interview process

I found out the morning I left for Nation-

als that I had made the team I was wait-

ing for my train and told the coach that I

would be gone for a week and a half while

I was competing She then told me that

if I missed practice I could not be on the

team I was disappointed but I decided to

keep my commitment and go to Nationals

I felt that I had made the right decision

and it was also very worth it

last season I showed Am Capricious

Star (Capricious) in Sport Horse under

Saddle and Sport Horse In Hand I was so

nervous for my first class at a ldquorealrdquo show

but it all paid off when I received my first

roses as champion in the Sport Horse In

Hand mares JTH at region X I also showed

Al-marah So Powerful (Sophie) in dres-

sage and Sport Horse under Saddle and

qualified for Sport Horse Nationals

Although winning my class at region-

als was awesome it was still nothing com-

pared to my first victory lap I had always

watched the live stream for different Na-

tional shows and got chills down my back

when Irsquod see people getting their ribbons

and taking off around the ring one last

time As if making it to Nationals wasnrsquot a

big enough deal already I had a chance to

take a few laps myself when I made it all

the way to the finals in Sport Horse Under

Saddle ATr I can honestly say it was one

of the best feelings in the world

This season I plan to continue show-

ing Capricious and Sophie as well as our

newest addition to the show string ndash a

four-year-old mare named Al-marah dove

Star (dove) I canrsquot wait to see where this

season will take us

Alyssa amp Al-marah So PowerfulAlyssa with Am Capricious Star

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

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tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 50: June/July 2014

by kristen Petzold

50 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Cody Chamberlain 15 was one of the

winners of our 2013 SHN Sportsmanship

Awards She has been riding Arabians since

she was 6 years old

If you were in attendance at the 2014

region 12 Championships you may

have seen a tall elegant young rider

bustling around the show grounds For

the first day or so you probably didnrsquot see

her off of a horse riding a variety at many

different levels This wouldnrsquot be the first

regional Championships or horse show

for that matter- for Cody Chamberlain

I first had the pleasure of working with

Cody at the 2010 region 12 show I was

impressed with her professional manner

and natural riding ability At the end of

that week when she took a lesson on my

FEI horse Hr PufNStuf++++ I was again

blown away by her ability especially on

such a strong ldquoprofessionalrsquosrdquo horse She

was a breath of fresh air with her excite-

ment and desire to learn

In any sport business or trade the fu-

ture lies in the hands of the youth the next

generation The importance of passing on

knowledge and skills to this next genera-

tion is critical but even more critical than

this is having youth that are passionate

driven and dedicated to the sport When

I think of these qualities the bright young

talent that immediately comes to mind is

Cody As with many of us who have start-

ed in horses Cody has gained her experi-

ence from riding what horses she has the

opportunity to ride This has given her a

chance to start unbroken babies chal-

lenging youngsters and condition upper

level dressage horses and jumpers The

skills and riding ability that is required to

be a good catch rider are hard earned and

require a lot of natural talent and time in

the saddle all of which Cody has in abun-

dance

Aside from Codyrsquos natural talent

those that know her will quickly tell you

what a wonderful sportsman she is She is

always encouraging and cheering on her

fellow competitors If you are at a show

where she is in attendance you are guar-

anteed to get a smile and some encour-

aging words if you cross paths with her

Seeing this level of sportsmanship and

kindness in our youth is absolutely won-

derful

Irsquove had the pleasure of getting closer

with her as the years have gone on from

seeing her at horse shows and getting to

spend more time working with her on her

own horses and mine She is such a well-

rounded focused young lady so enthusi-

astic about the breed and the sport Itrsquos

not very often that you find a 15 year old

with the drive and focus who knows what

she wants to do with her career and how

she wants to positively affect the breed

and the sport I feel blessed to have a

student such as herself to work with Not

only is she talented but she is such a joy

to be around getting to work with her

more just drove home what I already knew

about Cody that she is a bright young star

that is going to go far in the industry and

sport She is kind smart hard working and

codyChamberlain

CAR

OLI

NE

MCC

RAC

KEN

PH

OTO

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

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61JuneJuly 2014

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LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

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this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

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Page 51: June/July 2014

51JuneJuly 2014

honest and has handled some big things

with such grace and such a positive atti-

tude that I find myself truly inspired by

her

She showed several of my horses at

the 2013 Sport Horse Nationals and did

an outstanding job She was on some tal-

ented ldquoprofessionalrdquo horses and handled

herself so very well She brought home

5 Top Ten awards and every single one

she was as excited and tearful as the first

What made me even happier to see was

her excitement and joy before the results

came in Even on the classes she didnrsquot

place in she was so excited and proud of

her performance and the effort the horse

she was riding put into it Itrsquos a wonder-

ful thing to see in the sport a wonderful

thing to have for the future of our sport

Cody has spent much time riding a

variety of horses but also much time

developing and bringing along her own

two horses mAF The Watchman- a pure-

bred Arabian gelding and mAF Sinclairrsquos

Gold-a half Arabian filly Cody has owned

Sinclairrsquos gold since she was born and

done all the training and handling of her

on her own In 2013 Sinclairrsquos gold was

the Champion HAAA Sport Horse in Hand

yearling Filly at the East Coast Champion-

ships with Cody at the lead Cody says her

plans for this talented filly are for her to

train her up the levels with their sights

set on making it to FEI together

mAF The Watchman was with Cody

for their first Regional Championships to-

gether this year at region 12 While she

has had him for some time this was her

first opportunity to take him to a Regional

Show and they came home with many

successes including Champion Arabian

Working Hunter AoTr 2rsquo9rdquo Champion

Arabian regular Working Hunter 3rsquo-3rsquo3rdquo

Champion Arabian low Jumper Cham-

pion Arabian Jumper ATr and Champion

dressage Seat Equitation JTr which was a

huge highlight for Cody

When I spoke to Cody after the region

12 show we discussed some of the big

highlights for her aside from her numer-

ous wins with her own horse Cody was

Champion Third level ATr with Pannama

Jack However it wasnrsquot the win that was a

highlight for Cody but as she said ldquoriding

the final centerline on at the end of the

best third level test I have ever ridden

that was such a highlight for me Showing

myself that I could ride such a fantastic

test when I didnrsquot get much warm-up time

with Jack beforehandrdquo Cody also took

Pannama Jack to two reserve Champion-

ships in the HA Sport Horse Show Hack

open and ATr both which she was ec-

static about because they were two of the

best show hack rides she had ever had

Her ride in the HA Sport Horse Show

hack open came when Cody stepped in

for me when my horse fell with me in the

warm up at region 12- I was sent to the

hospital with a severe concussion When

I came back to the showgroundrsquos the next

day Cody had put a wall of ribbons up

stepping in and taking over my rides for

me and showing my horses to the best

of their ability and making sure every-

thing was run smoothly and the horses

were taken care off There was no hesita-

tion she handled the situation like a true

horsewoman and friend The future of the

breed the sport the horse industry truly

does lie in the hands of our youth With

the passion and dedication of riders like

Cody I very much believe the future of

our industry is in good hands

Cody showing Pannama Jack in ShowmanshipCody and mAF The Watchman

KRIS

TEN

PET

ZOLD

PH

OTO

LOG

AN H

EIM

AN P

HO

TO

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

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MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 52: June/July 2014

by keeley Clark

52 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Every horse person has had ldquothat

one horserdquo If you ask any eques-

trian what started it allmdashthis crazy

lifestylemdashtheyrsquoll probably smile and then

tell you the name of a horse the one re-

sponsible for their horse fever

When I was five years old my dad

came to pick me up and said ldquoWersquore going

to see your birthday presentrdquo It sounds a

little clicheacute but I really do remember it

like it was yesterday We drove to a lit-

tle town in North Florida to see a friend

of my grandmotherrsquos named Edna Edna

was in a bind because her mare had got-

ten bred through a fence and had a colt

She couldnrsquot afford to keep both the mare

and foal

We got there and of course I headed

straight for the horses The colt was at

the fencemdashhis dam couldnrsquot be bothered

when she had perfectly good haymdashand

right away lowered his head to sniff me

I was instantly in love We went into the

pasture to see the mare and colt and the

entire time he was walking right behind

me with his muzzle by my back

my dad told me he was mine but that

we couldnrsquot take him home today He said

his name was Khemos Centauri He was an

18-month-old half-Arabian half-quarter

Horse stallion with khemosabi blood-

lines and I asked if we could just call him

ldquomikerdquo (I was obsessed with monsters

Inc and when he looked at me I could

only see one of his eyes at a time There-

fore I called him mike short for mike Wa-

zowski) It fitted him

When it came time to leave he fol-

lowed me to the gate and then when we

drove away I kid you not that colt ran the

fence with the truck My dad had bought

him on the spot for $500 I donrsquot know if

he knew at the time that he had just got-

ten the deal of a lifetime

Now my dad can definitely find his

way around a horse but I donrsquot think he

thought of the fact that he just bought his

five-year-old daughter an 18-month-old

stallion When my stepdad Mark found

out he jumped right into action

First Mikey was gelded Then he

went to a friend of my dadrsquos to learn

some manners until he was old enough to

break When Mike turned three he went

to Arabian Nights and basically markrsquos

only instruction to the people in charge

of training him was to train the living day-

lights out of him They did Mike spent

about four years in the Arabian Nights

show getting bullwhips cracked off his

back getting guns shot off his back car-

rying flagsmdashbasically everything possible

to bomb-proof him

The first time I rode him I was about

10 We took him to my dadrsquos house way

out in the country where I spent the next

two years racing down dirt roads with my

friends and trail riding I canrsquot tell you how

many times that horse saved mehellip I was

a bit of a daredevil He always took care

of me though When I was 12 I decided

I wanted to jump so we boarded him at

a stable in Orlando and we learned Mike

is known to be a little lazy but he toler-

ated jumping We moved barns a couple

keeleyclark

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 53: June/July 2014

53JuneJuly 2014

of times and by the end we were jumping

2rsquo6rdquo-2rsquo9rdquo courses We won a few ribbons

but I wasnrsquot crazy into showing yet

When we got up to three feet mikey

started showing his disapproval After the

second concussion I decided that I wasnrsquot

really cut out for jumping and that I want-

ed to start doing dressage Irsquod wanted to

do it for a while but my parents thought

I would find it boring (I probably would

have when I was younger Remember

what I said about daredevil) However I

wanted to do it and I finally did

mark told me I could start doing dres-

sage on this mare at Arabian Nights Al-ma-

rah Galen nicknamed Surprise She was

a 15-year-old broodmare that they were

using as a drill horse in the show Usu-

ally when people think of a 15-year-old

broodmare they think of a nice sweet

gentle horse that would take care of you

Surprise was pretty much the opposite of

that She wasnrsquot crazy but she a definite

challenge and since I like a challenge she

was new my project

When I started competing it was pret-

ty much a learn-as-you-go trial-and-error

thing Mark had been away from horse

shows for years so by that time everything

was very different When I finally got my

feet under me on Surprise we brought a

20-year-old gelding named Clemmy (the

prince horse at Arabian Nights most of his

life and one of the horses I learned to ride

on) and Mike into my show string Those

were the three main horses that taught

me how to really ride

So I had Surprise the barely broke

15-year-old broodmare that I basically

had to train by myself Clemmy the sea-

soned old babysitter and my boy mike

who was a stubborn and often lazy but

gentle horse

When I started showing mike in dres-

sage I was at the age where I didnrsquot think

of the fact that he wasnrsquot particularly built

to be a dressage horse Not everyone

necessarily expected he would excel in

dressage but I never thought anything of

it He was just my Mikey and I thought he

could do anything

over the past few years Irsquove had an

average of about five or six horses in my

own show string (three of them my own)

doing everything from jumping to rein-

ing to dressage Each has done very well

at the regional and National level but

mikersquos show record in particular is the one

I am most proud of

Within the past four years his show

record consists of eight regional Cham-

pionships six regional reserve Champi-

onships multiple regional Top 5rsquos multi-

ple Scottsdale Championships (including

high point in both Training and First level

open) five National Top Tens and three

National Championships

right now my show string consists of

four dressage horses khemos Centauri

keeley aboard Am Heyyou Star++++ at regionals 2014

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 54: June/July 2014

54 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

+ (mikey) my gelding Al-marah Silver

Charm + Am Heyyou Star++++ Am

Chance Command++++ and a reining

horse named Al marah Horatio +

We started getting our feet wet in

open dressage competition this year

driving to Wellington for shows during

the season I only got to take mikey and

Chance but they both did very well for

me and were fairly successful I got to do

my first musical freestyles and make my

Fourth level debut It was a great expe-

rience and Irsquom sure everyone is getting

tired of me talking about Wellington and

next season To say I love it is an under-

statement I think it was so wonderful for

me because in a way itrsquos a step in the di-

rection of where Irsquove always wanted to go

which brings us to young riders

I am fortunate to have kassie barteau

as my trainer Our stepdads are very good

friends and go way back She grew up in

the dressage world and is the most win-

ning young rider in dressage history and

since my short-term goal is to win young

riders I canrsquot think of anyone else Irsquod

rather have showing me the ropes I think

we have a lot in common we can both

be pretty stubborn when it comes to our

horses and what we believe in (I say that

with a smile) and we get along very well

She lets me ask loads of questions all day

long and follow her around like a puppy

She is a definite role model of mine and

Irsquom very happy to get to train with her

On the side I have a yearling filly

that my mare gave birth to last marchmdash

her first foal and mine She is absolutely

amazing and every morning she meets

me at the fence by my parking spot at my

house to say good morning before I head

to the farm My plan for her is to bring her

to the farm soon so I can start working

with her every day Then in a few years

she can make her dressage debut

my plans for the rest of the year are

pretty exciting Irsquom going to Youth Nation-

als with my best friend in July then kas-

sie and I are going to France for a month

to watch the World Equestrian games

and spend some time in Paris and then

we fly back just in time to meet up with

Team Al-marah for Sport Horse Nationals

in Idaho After that we have open Dres-

sage regionals in october and hopefully

open Nationals in November

mike and I have had a lot of great ex-

periences togethermdashincluding my first

trip to youth Nationals where he escaped

from his stall and ran around the show

grounds like a wild stallion (I was morti-

fied)mdashand every day Irsquom excited to get to

the barn to see him

This year mikey will stay at First and

Second level Next year if hersquos ready

hopefully he can move up to Second and

Third I donrsquot think Irsquove ever been to a

horse show without him so itrsquos going to

be difficult when he reaches his limit but

I donrsquot mind if he stays where he is for

the rest of his life as long as he gets to

go with me

Without mike my life with horses

probably wouldrsquove been very different

out of all the horses Irsquove ridden mikersquos

personality is probably the one that mine

matches with the best so when we get

into our groove we can learn a lot in a

short amount of time We have so much

fun

The times Irsquove had with mike have al-

ways been the most educational versa-

tile and adventurous times of my riding

career and I think thatrsquos because we have

such a special connection and trust each

other in new situations

Every little girl deserves to have a

horse that she knows loves her as much

as she loves him and I can only hope

that those little girls can get one thatrsquos as

amazing to them as mikey is to me

LIZ

CRA

WLE

Y PH

OTO

GRA

PHY

keeley and mike at regionals 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 55: June/July 2014

55JuneJuly 2014

elaine KerriganPleasant head Nice length and shape of neck showing good de-

velopment of the topline muscling attaching smoothly into the

withers Would like to see the withers extend a little more into

the back which can affect saddle position Forelegs set forward

enough to help girth position Good angle and length of shoulder

and humerus Loin appears a little long though seems to be de-

veloping a fairly strong connection to the hindquarters Good hip

angles with good length of Ilium and femur Could be the photo

however the hindquarters appear taller than the forehand Ad-

equate bone Good pastern and hooves Nicely developing sport

horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse has a very attractive head with a well-defined throat-

latch and well-shaped neck smoothly attached to the shoulder It

is arguably a bit on the short side The shoulder has good angle

and muscle The saddle position is good with well-defined withers

that tie fairly smoothly into the back In this horse it appears that

the croup is higher than the withers making a ldquodownhillrdquo appear-

ance that is not ideal for sport horses The loin area appears a bit

long and weak and the croup quite short The hindquarters appear

to be sufficient in size with a good length from point of the hip to

With Elaine kerriganlynn mcEnespy and Peter mileo

the point of the buttock The legs are of good substance but the

point of the hocks are slightly high and the pasterns quite short

In addition it appears that she may be slightly back at the knee

This would affect the score from a hunter judge but not so much

from a dressage judge This type of horse is why we also watch

movement on the triangle to see if the conformation issues affect

the gaits Functionality is the most important characteristic in a

sport horse

Peter mileoPretty face neck could be longer but does look like it has a clean

throat and set well Shoulder could be laid back a bit more but

it isnrsquot too straight Decent wither and length of back Irsquod like to

see a shorter stronger loin It also appears the coupling is also

long Length of hindquarter is adequate Irsquod like to see more

depth Front legs look good and feet seem to all match up with the

pastern angles I think from this photo her hind legs are over-bent

or slightly sickle hocked I canrsquot imagine that this horse can stand

plumb behind with the outside of the cannon bones falling plumb

to the point of the buttock

elaine KerriganPleasant head that could show a little more ldquodishrdquo but is defi-

nitely Arabian enough for me Neck is a little short and lacks

ClinicConformationPurebred 1

Purebred 2

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 56: June/July 2014

56 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

development of the topline That in turn affects the connection

to the withers making that appear a little rough Shoulders just

a little steep and I would like to see a more open angle to the

humerus Good withers that set well into the back That along

with the long underline make a good saddle and girth position

Loin and hindquarters are undeveloped and need more muscling

Adequate angle of Ilium and femur Good bone angles and

hooves of the lower legs This horse has the makings of a nice

sport horse

Lynn mcenespyThis horse is obviously not at a show and I presume being cri-

tiqued for potential or possibly breeding The head is attractive

but the neck is set low needs a rounder shape on top with a clean-

er throatlatch and a bit longer poll There is also a distinct dip in

front of the withers that goes with the low set neck This generally

means the horse will have trouble lifting the front end and usu-

ally goes with an upside down neck The shoulder has good angle

and shape but from this picture appears a bit tied in at the elbow

The withers are well shaped and smoothly connected to the back

The loin is quite long and appears a bit weak with the croup quite

short and a bit high compared to the withers The hindquarters are

a bit light compared to the front-end with the distance from the

point of the hip to the point of the buttock a bit short The hind-

quarters are fairly well muscled especially the gaskins The legs

are quite sturdy looking but for a sport horse a bit on the short

side The front pasterns are also a bit short

Peter mileoVery pretty face and eye Neck is short and not particularly well-

shaped as it looks ldquoplankyrdquo Irsquod like to see a more prominent with-

er Front legs look good cannons are short and feet look like they

have a good angle with the pasterns Back is adequate lengthmdash

not too longmdashbut the loin is not very strong and the coupling

looks lose Hindquarter could be longer but the angles look good

and there is good depth to the hind end Rear leg alignment also

looks plumb

elaine KerriganPleasing head Neck fairly well-shaped though a bit over-stretched

in the underline Topline of neck places well at the withers Shoul-

der a little bit steep and would like to see a bit more open angle

to the humerus Shoulder also shows a lot of muscle development

which may indicate overuse of forehand Adequate placement of

the withers for saddle position Adequate development of the loin

connecting fairly well-developed hindquarters Good angles and

fairly good length of Ilium and femur Hocks placed just a little

high The photo shows the horse leaning over the forehand which

compromises the underline making it appear shorter than ideal

It also makes the left front pastern angle to hoof almost ldquoclub-

byrdquo Overall a compact sturdy sport horse showing good type for

hunterjumper

Lynn mcenespyThis very attractive and well-prepared hunter presents a very

good first impression for a sport horse The head is quite attractive

with an alert attentive expression The neck is well-set-on and

smooth into the shoulder and withers Despite the stretched posi-

tion it is clear the neck has good development on top with no dip

in front of the withers The shoulder has good angles and length

of the humerous and is well muscled The saddle position is good

but could have a bit smoother connection to the back The loin

area also appears nicely muscled but the croup is a bit short The

hindquarters are quite nice with a good distance from the point of

the hip to the point of the buttock and a good length of femurmdasha

good characteristic in both a hunter and dressage horse The legs

and feet appear to be of good substance and size Overall I would

expect this horse to do quite well as a sport horse

Half-Arabian 1

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 57: June/July 2014

57JuneJuly 2014

Peter mileoMy immediate first impression is this is a nice horse The shoulder

is a bit straighter but the overall balance is good Pleasing face

and expression The neck has adequate length and comes out of

an adequate wither Short back strong loin and good coupling

Hindquarter has good length and depth This is a nice three-circle

horse Front legs are well-aligned with short cannons and the rear

legs also look to have good alignment with low-set hocks

elaine KerriganAttractive head in the frontal view Unable to see poll and throat-

latch for evaluation From what is visible the neck shows good

shape with rounding topline and flows very smoothly into the

withers Good slope and length of shoulder and open angle of

the humerus Withers extend well into the back for good saddle

position Well-developed strong loin to connect back to well-de-

veloped hindquarters Good hip angles with good length of Ilium

and femur Tibia is a good length in comparison to the cannon

for good hock placement Radius is a good length in comparison

to the cannon for good knee placement Good bone and foreleg

placed forward for good girth position Canrsquot see the hooves and

pastern angles appear appropriate Overall a very strong bal-

anced smooth-bodied horse

Lynn mcenespyThis lovely pinto is also very nicely prepared and groomed

Straight on the head looks quite attractive with well-set-on and

well-shaped neck The shoulder is slightly straight and a bit open

in the angle The point of the shoulder to the elbow is a bit up-

right but the shoulder is smooth with good muscling The saddle

position is excellent and smoothly connected to the back The loin

and hindquarters are also quite good and of good size to match

the front end Of particular note is the smooth well-developed

loin that is not too long and the highest point is over the point

of the hip The hind legs however appear slightly straight and a

bit open-angled making them a bit out behind The gaskins are a

bit light and the point of the hock a bit high This is also quite a

nice sport horse type (with very popular coloring) but the open

angle behind may limit the reach of the hind leg a bit The overall

impression is of a very nice sport horse type with a particularly

good topline

Peter mileoI have a nice impression of this horse Good balance and a smooth

body Pretty face with a nice clean neck that is set well Short back

and good loin and coupling Good front legs with short cannons

and flat knees Hind end looks to be of good length and ties in

nicely to the gaskins Rear leg alignment looks good and they also

look plumb with low set hocks

Would you like to enter your horse into our free Conformation Clinic

Please email your submission to infothearabiansporthorsecom Subject Conformation Clinic

Submissions will be featured at our discretion Photo credit must be provided

Submit your horse

Half-Arabian 2

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 58: June/July 2014

58 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 59: June/July 2014

59JuneJuly 2014

(Bremervale Andronicus x Bo Xana )

Colt(TS Black Tie Affair x Dancin N The Dark)

Siennarsquos Midnight Star(Sea Accounts x In Single)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Filly(Mirage V x Rajima Black)

(Bremervale Andronicus x AM Fancie Frisca)

Filly(CA Dillon x Khandle in the Wind)

GA Eastwood(HG Esquire x LA Baltic Sunflower)

Colt(Rhocky Rhoad x Chantilly Daanteellaa)

(Bremervale Andronicus x Al-Marah Seahonor)

Congratulations

Union Commander(Admiral Harnly-Touch of Eden)

Aamir(Aur Mystique x TrakSWB)

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 60: June/July 2014

Classifieds

Affordable Targeted Effective

60 The Arabian Sport Horse Magazine

Dressage Saddle 18rdquo Amerigo Cervia Siena PineroloExcellent condition like new Very lightly used dressage saddle 18rdquo deep seat medium wide tree normal length flaps Retails for up to $5500 plus tax asking $4500 obo See Amerigo website for additional information(httpwwwamerigo-saddlescomindexphpensiena-dressagesaddles)Stirrups and leathers not included Shipping available at cost Contact Cindi at 623-866-2780 or tackforsalecoxnet

For sale $2900 3 year old bay sporthorse registered arabUnder saddle for 3 months incredible mind and willingness Natural headset Goes in snaffle152 Hand Bay gorgeous willing boy Sporthorse trail in the ring sporthorse under saddle hunter hack hunter over fences competitive trail in mountains later endurance Knows the halter triangle and out of trail over water over barriers logs opens gates Horse of a lifetime for the whole family to enjoy Please call 505-877-3341 or email scheherezadearabiansmsncom

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 61: June/July 2014

ServicesOur Services Directory is available for just an annual fee of $25 (6 issues) Subject Headers created as needed Not for Stallions or Horses for Sale

FARMS

ROZE ARABIANS bull Angela White bull Elizabethtown PA bull Breeders of Straight Egyptian Arabian Sport HorsesHorses for Sale bull Clinics bull wwwRozeArabianscom bull RozeArabiansgmailcom bull 717-585-0855

MYSTIC RANCH ARABIANS Karen Ernst Herald CA bull Breeders of Arabian Sport HorseswwwMysticRanchArabianscom bull mysticrchsoftcomnet

61JuneJuly 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+

Page 62: June/July 2014

Laughing Dog Ranch

LiL Miss Perfect LD2010 Us reserve National in-hand ch 2011 Natrsquol sport Horse champion and 2010 and 2011 WPcsA 1 12 Welsh Med pony hunter now showing over fences

6 yo large pony HJ permanent Pony card at 141 34 Has been shown by a Junior at scotts-dale

ZANs ZiA MAriA

tHis MAGic MOMeNt LDGLee PerfectLY LD2x scottsdale sport Horse in-hand ch and top ten National sport Horse this 4 yo large pony hunter is as kind as he is beautiful suitable for kids and amateurs

this gorgeous yearling filly is Lil Miss Perfect LDrsquos baby sister shown winning Grand cham-pion at the Oklahoma Welsh show

Offers for your consideration

Laughing Dog Ranch LLC bull Ojai California bull Mary Anne Morrison(805) 689-1335 bull Email doglaf97aolcom

Miss cON GeNiALitY LDby international Grand Prix Holsteiner con calettoout of swan song DDA by showkayce+