I got my first pony when I was 9 years old when my mother and I took a trip down to watch the Chincoteague Island Annual Pony Swim with my mom's best friend Barbara and her daughter, C.C. Barbara convinced my mother to bid on a pony at the annual auction on a spur of the moment whim, and we ended up with a little brown and white, 2 month old pony, which I decided to name "Ice Cream." We did not tell my father about the bid, and he was not exactly thrilled to find out when we brought home a wild pony. But much to his dismay, my riding career has become a large part of my parent's lives, and they are my biggest fans today..so THANK YOU Barbara for starting my life full of horses!
In middle school, I got a thoroughbred horse named Kiss-N-Tell, who taught me the ropes of dressage, and by high school, Frodo came into my life. Frodo was a young horse who was the most loving and most full of character horse I'd ever met, and he had just been shipped over from Ireland. I started riding with Sharon White, who taught me everything about the sport of eventing, and Frodo and I climbed the levels of the sport together. In order to stay in shape for riding, I put forth my other passion, which was soccer. I played on Clarke County High School's soccer team, playing in the VA State Final Championship 4 years in a row. We ended up as State Champions twice, and reserve champs twice!
My sophomore year of college, Frodo suffered a pasture injury at the local barn in Fredericksburg. He tore two ligaments in his left front leg, and I was told he would not be able to compete amongst the upper levels of the sport anymore. I was absolutely devastated as he was my best friend, and he had a long road of recovery ahead of him. I kept him at Emily Beshear's farm for his recovery so that Dr. Jeff Beshear could look after him.
But as one door closes, another door opens, and late in the spring of 2009, I found "Little Phil." Olympian Karen O'Connor had this horse, and after trying dozens of horses up and down the east coast, I sat on Phil and instantly knew he was the one. Never have I smiled so much riding a horse, and felt as comfortable as I did on him.We began our partnership that summer at Sharon's farm and moved quickly up through the preliminary level of eventing by the fall. I brought Phil and Frodo to another local barn in Fredericksburg for my junior year of school, and continued taking lessons with Sharon and Emily. That next summer, I took the opportunity to go ride with the O'Connor's, and move Phil to their summer farm in Middleburg, VA. Karen offered me a part-time working position, and I jumped at that amazing opportunity.
I finally got my diploma: BS in Business Administration, and then moved into Middleburg, VA as an employee for the O'Connors that summer. I worked countless hours, and vastly improved my riding skills. That summer, Phil got temporarily injured, and I ended up buying another horse as well, who turns out to be little Phil's younger brother, named Calvin! As i learned to ride this new horse, I moved down to Florida with the whole OCET crew that winter. I continued to ride and train with Karen, but also started working and training with OCET resident rider, Lauren Kieffer. Lauren opened up my world to a new way of riding, as she teaches in a very methodical way that just 'clicks' with my brain. She is a phenomenal horsewoman, rider, and teacher.
