December 1st, 2005 I bought my third horse. I had been showing on the Morgan Circuit and my last horse just hadn't grown as much as I had hoped (I bought him as a 14.2h 2.5yr old, sold him as a 14.3h 4yr old); so I sold him to buy something bigger. For those unfamiliar with Morgan Horses, anything over 15.2h is considered "big". So, I bought a 15.2h four year old with no training. Her name was LPN Just My Style, "Lily".
I bought her as she came into my training barn, Meadowmere, where she was hitched and driving in 2weeks. By January she was going under saddle, and she was easy, super easy, in fact looking back, I should have been suspicious.
That first show season I took her the whole circuit. We did UPHA Chapt. 14 in April all the way through to Mass. Morgan in August. Not only that, but we did well. The highlight of the year being a 2nd place a New England Regions in the 14-17 Hunter Seat Pleasure. Not bad for a horse with just 7month under saddle!
With less than a week to go before entries were due for Oklahoma (the Morgan World National and Grand Champion Horse Show), my trainers started to flip-flop about whether they were going. It was my last year in the junior divisions. I had qualified for several classes. They decided not to go the day entries were due. I was crushed.
With the school year starting in September, I moved "Lily" to a hunter jumper barn down the road from my school where I had boarded my two previous horses. Over the past 9 months Lily had just gotten hotter and hotter. Basically, just had gotten comfortable with someone on her back and started to get muscles. She never did anything stupid, no bucking, rearing, spooking, but she was a pistol. To this day I still think she would have made a fine English Pleasure horse if she had the neck for it. So, at the hunter jumper barn, Mt. Heights Equestrian Club (MHEC), my trainer Melanie worked on us slowing down and starting to jump, we had a blast! Lily was more focused, more ridable, and oh boy could she jump! By February 2006 I had jumped her 3'9", and she just cantered right down to the base and jumped with her knees to her eyeballs, no problem.
By March the horse show bug was kicking in. I called MM (Meadowmere), and asked if I could stable with them at UPHA. Meanwhile, I had been talking about going to Oklahoma with my parents. I did not want to get dropped the day entries were due, and so I started looking for a bigger show barn. Which is how I found Chrislar.
I have never talked to someone that has been to Chrislar or met Chris Cassenti and had anything bad to say. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made concerning horses. However, explaining to the trainers at MM that I would not be continuing the season with them, did not go over well. I told them at the end of UPHA, and left the barn aisle at the show in tears. I have never had two adults act more like children in my life. Needless to say, my only interactions with them since then have not been pleasant either.
That June I graduated from high school (the Putney school) and took the year off to work and focus on showing. Chrislar was amazing! Well, except for the 3.5hr drive. Lessons for the "A" circuit group were Thursdays at 5pm and Saturdays at 10am. So I left work early on Thursdays drove out for my lesson, and stayed with my cousins in Kittery, ME 30min north for the weekends. Chris always made sure everyone had realistic expectations. When I came into the barn she told me she liked Lily, but she wasn't going to get me a National Championship. That was fine with me, I just wanted to qualify and go. It didn't matter if I won, I just wanted the experience.
The 2006 show season was the best in my life. I placed in almost all my classes, including winning a split novice stake class, and coming back to win the championship class of 33 entries. The Chrislar team really made it all happen. My horse was turned-out beyond belief, the white on her hind ankles was pink it was so clean before every class, and her braids amazing. Chris prepped me before every class, and was always ring side when I was showing. Not to mention the girls at the barn were wonderful. All younger than me (in the A circuit group), but so nice, well brought up, and grateful for what they were doing.
Oklahoma was everything and more! I qualified for hunt seat amature mares, hunt seat ladies mares, and hunt seat youth; I also entered the hunter hack which does not have any qualifying classes. I left with a top ten and a huge smile, and my favorite picture of Lily and me.
Oklahoma was in October, and I had just started as a freshman at the University of Vermont that August. So before I even went to nationals I had gotten a spot on the riding team, and a stall at the team barn for Lily. UVM competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in the hunter/jumper section. So basically everyone shows hunters, jumpers, or equitation over fences. A lot of the girls on the team had their own horses, fancy warmbloods, thoroughbreds, or thoroughbred crosses. I was, "the girl with the Morgan". People would ask, "do you have a horse?", to which I would respond, "yes, I have a little Morgan mare." At which point I would always get the token confused, "what do you do with that?".
Another tidbit that might be important is to mention that the barn the UVM ISHA hunter/jumper team rides at, is a dressage and Dutch Warmblood breeding barn. In fact, our trainer (who is beyond amazing!) is an FEI dressage instructor/trainer/rider. So I had just gone from the Morgan Nationals, to a dressage barn. If you ever need a culture shock, I suggest trying it.
Lily arrived November 1st, impeccably clean, in her leather halter with a chain lead rope, and her tail bagged. She was wearing her Radon Inc. maroon and silver mid-weight blanket with "Lily" embroidered on it (On a side note, if you have never heard of Radon, check them out!!! http://www.radoninc.com, super durable, almost custom (you pick the cut, open or closed front, the colors, and any embroidery), plus they're incredible cheap compared to name brands such as Rambo). There where lots of whispers. Most of them asking, "what do you do with that?". I was about to find out.
I bought her as she came into my training barn, Meadowmere, where she was hitched and driving in 2weeks. By January she was going under saddle, and she was easy, super easy, in fact looking back, I should have been suspicious.
That first show season I took her the whole circuit. We did UPHA Chapt. 14 in April all the way through to Mass. Morgan in August. Not only that, but we did well. The highlight of the year being a 2nd place a New England Regions in the 14-17 Hunter Seat Pleasure. Not bad for a horse with just 7month under saddle!
With less than a week to go before entries were due for Oklahoma (the Morgan World National and Grand Champion Horse Show), my trainers started to flip-flop about whether they were going. It was my last year in the junior divisions. I had qualified for several classes. They decided not to go the day entries were due. I was crushed.
With the school year starting in September, I moved "Lily" to a hunter jumper barn down the road from my school where I had boarded my two previous horses. Over the past 9 months Lily had just gotten hotter and hotter. Basically, just had gotten comfortable with someone on her back and started to get muscles. She never did anything stupid, no bucking, rearing, spooking, but she was a pistol. To this day I still think she would have made a fine English Pleasure horse if she had the neck for it. So, at the hunter jumper barn, Mt. Heights Equestrian Club (MHEC), my trainer Melanie worked on us slowing down and starting to jump, we had a blast! Lily was more focused, more ridable, and oh boy could she jump! By February 2006 I had jumped her 3'9", and she just cantered right down to the base and jumped with her knees to her eyeballs, no problem.
By March the horse show bug was kicking in. I called MM (Meadowmere), and asked if I could stable with them at UPHA. Meanwhile, I had been talking about going to Oklahoma with my parents. I did not want to get dropped the day entries were due, and so I started looking for a bigger show barn. Which is how I found Chrislar.
I have never talked to someone that has been to Chrislar or met Chris Cassenti and had anything bad to say. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made concerning horses. However, explaining to the trainers at MM that I would not be continuing the season with them, did not go over well. I told them at the end of UPHA, and left the barn aisle at the show in tears. I have never had two adults act more like children in my life. Needless to say, my only interactions with them since then have not been pleasant either.
That June I graduated from high school (the Putney school) and took the year off to work and focus on showing. Chrislar was amazing! Well, except for the 3.5hr drive. Lessons for the "A" circuit group were Thursdays at 5pm and Saturdays at 10am. So I left work early on Thursdays drove out for my lesson, and stayed with my cousins in Kittery, ME 30min north for the weekends. Chris always made sure everyone had realistic expectations. When I came into the barn she told me she liked Lily, but she wasn't going to get me a National Championship. That was fine with me, I just wanted to qualify and go. It didn't matter if I won, I just wanted the experience.
The 2006 show season was the best in my life. I placed in almost all my classes, including winning a split novice stake class, and coming back to win the championship class of 33 entries. The Chrislar team really made it all happen. My horse was turned-out beyond belief, the white on her hind ankles was pink it was so clean before every class, and her braids amazing. Chris prepped me before every class, and was always ring side when I was showing. Not to mention the girls at the barn were wonderful. All younger than me (in the A circuit group), but so nice, well brought up, and grateful for what they were doing.
Oklahoma was everything and more! I qualified for hunt seat amature mares, hunt seat ladies mares, and hunt seat youth; I also entered the hunter hack which does not have any qualifying classes. I left with a top ten and a huge smile, and my favorite picture of Lily and me.
Oklahoma was in October, and I had just started as a freshman at the University of Vermont that August. So before I even went to nationals I had gotten a spot on the riding team, and a stall at the team barn for Lily. UVM competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in the hunter/jumper section. So basically everyone shows hunters, jumpers, or equitation over fences. A lot of the girls on the team had their own horses, fancy warmbloods, thoroughbreds, or thoroughbred crosses. I was, "the girl with the Morgan". People would ask, "do you have a horse?", to which I would respond, "yes, I have a little Morgan mare." At which point I would always get the token confused, "what do you do with that?".
Another tidbit that might be important is to mention that the barn the UVM ISHA hunter/jumper team rides at, is a dressage and Dutch Warmblood breeding barn. In fact, our trainer (who is beyond amazing!) is an FEI dressage instructor/trainer/rider. So I had just gone from the Morgan Nationals, to a dressage barn. If you ever need a culture shock, I suggest trying it.
Lily arrived November 1st, impeccably clean, in her leather halter with a chain lead rope, and her tail bagged. She was wearing her Radon Inc. maroon and silver mid-weight blanket with "Lily" embroidered on it (On a side note, if you have never heard of Radon, check them out!!! http://www.radoninc.com, super durable, almost custom (you pick the cut, open or closed front, the colors, and any embroidery), plus they're incredible cheap compared to name brands such as Rambo). There where lots of whispers. Most of them asking, "what do you do with that?". I was about to find out.
1 comment:
Great work.
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