English_2017, published in Arabian Horse Times

Owned by Southern Oaks Farm | Kelli Aguirre, Jupiter, FL | www.VJRoyalHeir.com | Standing at Kiesner Training, Louisville, TN | www.KiesnerTraining.com

Proudly owned & bred by Maroon Fire Arabians For breeding information contact Shea Stables | Tim & Marty Shea | 810-329-6392 | sheastable@aol.com Trained & ridden by Joel Kiesner

Cover Story: VJ Royal Heir

by ANNE STRATTON

You can breed to a stallion for his show record or you can breed to him for his pedigree. Knockout conformation doesn’t hurt either, but when you get it all in one package, that’s a different thing. Then, when the foals start to bring those visions to life, bingo.

The problem for owners of English horses is the wait. Foals rarely enter competition before they are 3; typically, they are 4 before they fully understand their mission, and then around 5, mentally and physically strong, they hit their stride and blow out the show ring.

In other words, this is the year to pay attention to the foals of VJ Royal Heir, who at 9 is welcoming his fifth foal group. From his limited opening crop, babies of 2013, two signaled talent early by earning top tens in the 2016 U.S. National futurities. But it is now that the 3-year-olds will arrive in force, and for English enthusiasts—especially VJ Royal Heir’s owner, Kelli Aguirre—this is the time to be on the rail.

Let’s take VJ Royal Heir’s credentials point by point.

Ability

“One of the most important things about this horse is that he did it,” says Joel Kiesner, who showed Royal Heir to his back-to-back national championships. “He was the unanimous U.S. National Champion in Junior English [2013] and he won open English [2014]. There are only a few stallions in the country that can say that—you have to be really exceptional to be an open English national champion.”

But what’s most important is why he was able to do that. “He has an overwhelming size and presence about him,” Kiesner says, “not just that his neck is towering, but that he is a 15.2 or 15.3-hand horse himself. He is a commanding horse. And then he has motion that is really unique: his trot is powerful, and has a slow cadence to it that offers a strength that is completely his own. And he trained all the way to win those awards. He’s got good, straight legs, he is strong, powerful, and has a great tail. Those are his personal attributes.”

Pedigree

Fact check some of the names, beginning with the top half: Royal Heir’s sire, Afires Heir, won four national championships in English, and is by Afire Bey V, the dominant English sire of the past quarter century and the son of another sire dominant in his day, U.S. National Reserve Champion English Pleasure Huckleberry Bey. Royal Heir’s granddam was Brassmis, one of the most influential broodmares of all time, a daughter of Brass and granddaughter of U.S. National Champions in Park *Bask and MHR Nobility.

Royal Heiress SOF U.S. National Top Ten Country English Pleasure Futurity 2013 mare out of BL Miss Chips

The bottom half plays an equally strong role. Royal Heir’s dam, MA Ghazta Trot, is by U.S. National Reserve Champion English Pleasure *El Ghazi, and out of Fire Essense, whose bloodline features Pro-Fire, a U.S. National Champion Park horse who was by *Bask and out of *Prowizja, both U.S. National Champions in Park. And Fire Essense was out of BRA Quintessa, a national champion in amateur park who was by Mikado—you guessed it, another U.S. National Champion in Park. What is most important about all of those attributes is that many of the names in Royal Heir’s pedigree also have been strong, consistent breeding horses.

An examination of the individuals can trace where some of his talent is coming from. The infusion of English talent is apparent in the Afire Bey V line; many breeders point to his dam side as a critical element for consideration. “*El Ghazi is another cross for getting a tall neck,” Kiesner says. “Between Afires Heir and *El Ghazi, that’s an insurance policy for a tall, lean, flexible neck. And the Pro-Fire, *Bask, *Prowizja line of park horses probably has something to do with his long, slow stride.

That has to be coming through his dam line.”

Results

Steve Lazzarini of BL Ranch, who owns the remarkable broodmare Rumina Afire, runs what might be considered a perfect test kitchen. When the twice-national champion Rumina retired, he used embryo transfer to try several top English stallions to find her best crosses (for the record, he says that so far, it has been Royal Heir), and as he gathered a proven band of English producing broodmares, he continued with the technique.

“I’ve bred to Royal Heir 11 times,” he says, “because I’m looking to put the best quality horses back in the ring and do my part as a breeder in our industry.” His frame of reference is English, and he’s enjoyed honing his skills over the years.

Supremely Royal SOF 2015 Colt out of ALove Supreme

Truly Royal SOF 2016 Colt out of Rumina Afire

Uptown Funk SOF 2015 H/A Colt out of Honolulu City Lights (ASB)

“When you breed, you always try to breed for better than what you have,” Lazzarini says. “As Don DeLongpré told me years ago, ‘I don’t care if you have two national champions, that doesn’t mean you’re going to breed one.’ But if you put all the body parts together—the mechanical parts in a performance horse—nine times out of 10, if you have a quality mare and stallion, that foal is going to be quality too.”

Further endorsement comes from the elite English barns which have Royal Heirs in training. Stachowski Farms, for instance, has three, and the word is that all are impressing their trainers—enough so that Kiesner, even though he may be riding against the Stachowskis this summer on Royal Heir youngsters, laughs and says, “If they’re on our horses, of course we’ll be cheering for them!”

His rule of thumb? “If that horse doesn’t have a hip and a hind end, length of leg and depth of shoulder, and a neck and carriage with a bend at the poll, they’re not going to be able to do their job to the best of their ability.

He gets serious. “We support everybody riding horses by our stallions that we helped to create—we cheer them on to win a lot of ribbons and sell for big prices. Kiesner Training Center believes in the old Lasma saying, ‘Your success is our success.’”

“Royal Heir has his father’s beautiful neck, and he throws that ‘pretty’ and a very good front end,” he continues. “What I really like is the *El Ghazi bottom side. I think that’s where he gets some of his impulsion.

That’s what Royal Heir brings to the table and that’s why I love him as a breeding stallion.”

As we said, this is the summer to start watching the sons and daughters of VJ Royal Heir. n

Kiesner, who fully appreciates Afires Heir, agrees about the importance of MA Ghazta Trot’s contribution. “It’s worth noting that from what we’re seeing, Royal Heir is passing along a good dose of *El Ghazi,” he says. “Nine-tenths of Royal Heir’s babies are black bay and have that neck, and what’s striking to me is that about three quarters of the babies that I see have that exaggerated, slow style of motion that he has, where the whole shoulder just comes up and hangs for a second. I think it’s really desirable.

“From what I’ve seen and what I hear from everybody that’s bred to him, people are happy with their babies,” he adds. “We’re getting a lot of rebreeds.”

“Why do I breed so much to Royal Heir?” Lazzarini asks rhetorically.

“I’ve had great success. Every baby that I’ve had, I know will be national quality. Only time will tell, and from what I see, I think there’s a high probability it’s going to happen.”

He points out the final integral component in the process.

“We’re very hands-on at our farm, so I can see how they train out,” he says. “The Royal Heirs are very trainable as babies; they learn very fast and they want to learn and work.”

VJ Royal Heir Afires Heir x MA Ghazta Trot

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Leading English Breeder 2016

Mares for sale Name

DOB

Sire

Dam

Ballroom Blitz PF Evening Wheir HH Tiny Dancer Italia CCF JSN Cosmopolitan Miss Carrissima (ASB)

3/4/13 4/6/12 4/19/07 3/23/13 5/8/07 4/29/06

Mamage Afires Heir VF Vanguard HA Toskcan Sun El Ghazi Rare Perception

B Witched Baske Afire HDC Walentyna Way Kool HH Angelica HH Allegro MZ Kitty Matoi Angel Afire Afire Bey V Mia Carrissima Foxfire’s Prophet

Evening Wheir

HH Tiny Dancer

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Sire of Dam

Being bred for 2018 Foal Thunder Struck LR SF Aftershoc HA Toskcan Sun Afires Heir Noble Dynasty PF HA Toskcan Sun

Prestige Farms ... recognized as a Leading English Breeder in 2016 & for raising and selling top national show horses and broodmares. We are proud of their accomplishments.

Miz Show Biz

Ruby Red CCF

Baske Afire x Miz Kitty

Afires Heir x ERA Witchy Woman

Noble Vision PF

foals

2017

MHR Nobility x Neveah W

Some may be available for purchase

Sire Afires Heir Afires Heir Baskghazi Baskghazi Black Daniels CSP Grand Caymon HA Toskcan Sun HA Toskcan Sun Nutcrackers Nirvana Nutcrackers Nirvana SF Aftershoc SF Aftershoc

Dam Eternity PF Beverly Hills Barbie CP Dansing Heiress HV Tesstoify Miz Katarina Bask PF Miz Show Biz Cohiba Baby MD Bellamesa HH Tiny Dancer Red Hott Mama JSN Cosmopolitan JR Primadona

Sire of Dam MHR Nobility Afire Bey V Afires Heir Matoi Baske Afire Baske Afire Hucklebey Berry MHR Nobility VF Vanguard Mamage El Ghazi AA Apollo Bey

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Check out the new videos of our sale horses.

Sex

Colt Filly Filly Filly Filly Colt Filly

Irwin Schimmel • 360-256-9432 • Cell: 503-367-4997 P.O. Box 814, Hillsboro, Oregon 97123

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The

Firelord National Champion 1993-2016

Afire Bey V x Barbarys Jubilee

My Dearest Fire: Thank you for sharing your beauty, your spirit, and over 23 years of your life with me.

I will hold you in my heart until the day we may meet again. —Merrilee

Silver Stag Arabians, LLC

Lovingly Cared For By Team Adandy

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Leading Owners of 2016 Wi n n i n g E n g l i s h H o r s e s

Nobilistic Nobilistic

BF

MHR Nobility x Love Of Wisdom

ing i n g Wi n n d a e L l l O vera ish Horse l g n E 6 1 20

TITLEIST BF

Nobilistic BF x PWA Tusea 2016 National Champion Arabian Country English Pleasure Junior Horse with Joel Gangi Owned by: Barbara Blanck and Luci Hernandez

Quality Show Prospects Available Sired by Nobilistic & Rizing Son Ar abian Horse Times | 10 | English • 2017

Boisvert Farms, one of the leading breeders of winning English Arabians and Half-Arabians in 2016

S ta l l i o n s b r e d t o p e r f o r m . . .

Bred to produce!

GSF

Rizing Son Rizing Son

Apollopalooza x PWA Tusea

RIZING STOCK BF

GSF Rizing Son x Callaway’s In The Money 2016 Canadian National Champion H/A Country English Pleasure Junior Horse with Joel Gangi

Scott & Susan Purdin | Rhein & Amanda Standish | Baton Rouge, LA | farm: 225.933.6109 | info@boisvertfarmsllc.com | www.BoisvertFarmsLLC.com Ar abian Horse Times | 11 | English • 2017

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GETTY-LOWE PHOTO

affliction

Mamage (Zodiac Matador x CF Fire Magic by Ariston) | PSI Love U (Allience x Provocatiw by Pro-Fire)

ALL THE RIGHT PARTS F O R T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N

Owned by Dr. Nancy O’Reilly | Amazing Horse Woman, LLC www.drnancyoreilly.com Standing at Lowe Show Horse Centre | Somis, California Contact Jim Lowe 805.444.8583 Ar abian Horse Times | 14 | English • 2017

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ENGLISH & COUNTRY HORSES AVAILABLE FOR CONSIDERATION Alpha Memories CRF | Afires Heir x Alpha Phi | 2014 HA Ch Mare Angelina Ames | Afires Heir x Aria Endless Summer | 2014 PB Bay Mare Bellazi CRF | A Noble Cause x VDF Bella Ghazi | 2014 PB Bay Mare Cause Afire CRF | A Noble Cause x HA Sahara Afire | 2014 PB Ch Gelding Fire It Up CRF | Baske Afire x On Tulsa Time | 2014 HA Bay Gelding Noble Symbol CRF | Noble Supreme CRF x Colette Ames | 2014 PB Ch Gelding Sir Mystical CRF | Sir Marwan CRF x Toi Jabaska | 2014 PB Bay Gelding Supreme Glamor CRF | Noble Supreme CRF x Glamorize | 2014 HA Bay Mare The Machine CRF | A Noble Cause x Lady Machine | 2014 HA Ch Gelding Ames Nutorious | Undulatas Nutcracker x Toi Jabaska | 2013 HA Ch Mare Noble Lad CRF | Noble Supreme CRF x HV Trinidoll | 2013 PB Bay Gelding Cause A Discovery CRF | A Noble Cause x Madame Ghazi | 2014 PB Bay Gelding Ames Imperator | Afires Heir x Aria Endless Summer | 2013 PB Bay Stallion Bold N Sassy CRF | A Noble Cause x Sweet Dreams | 2014 HA Ch Mare His OwnMan CRF | Baske Afire x Gunning For Roses KCF | 2013 HA Bay Gelding Ultimate Fire CRF | Afire Bey V x Ames Patina | 2014 PB Bay Gelding

The Ames Family Jordan, Minnesota | 952.492.2537 www.CedarRidgeArabians.com

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Prosuasion NATIONAL CHAMPION

SF Specs Shocwave x Mz Kitty

2008 Chestnut Stallion | AEPA Enrolled Sire CONTACT FOR B REEDING INFORMATION : DALTON & KELLIE BUDD | 317.531.1326 | INFO @ S ELECTS HOWHORS ES.COM W W W. S E L EC T S H OW H O R S E S .CO M

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Winning...

It is not a goal,

HELLUVA STORM LR (Thunder Struck LR x Lela Rose)

it’s a

TTraditio radition!

VEGA Z SHOWSTOPPER (Vegaz x Beyonce B, by Ba s ke Afire) DALTON & KELLIE BUDD | 317.531.1326 | INFO @ S ELECTS HOWHORS ES.COM W W W. S E L EC T S H OW H O R S E S .CO M

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“WAY TO GO, JOE!” A 2016 LEADING NATIONAL ENGLISH WINNER …

Big And Rich

SCA

(Afire Bey V x Two To Tango SCA)

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

2016 Canadian National Champion English Pleasure AAOTR 40 & Over 2016 Canadian National Champion Park AOTR 2016 Canadian Reserve National Champion English Pleasure AATR 2016 U.S. National Top Ten English Pleasure AAOTR 40 & Over 2016 U.S. National Top Ten Park AAOTR 2015 Canadian Reserve National Champion Pleasure Driving Multiple U.S. and Canadian National Top Tens in English Pleasure AAOTR and Pleasure Driving AAOTD 2014-2016 Region 11 Champion English Pleasure AAOTR

Liliana

JB

(SF Specs Shocwave x MD Chardonnay) 2016 Canadian National Top Ten Country English Pleasure AATR & AAOTR 2016 Region 11 Champion Country English Pleasure AAOTR 2015 U.S. National Top Ten Country English Pleasure Jr. Horse

Kevin Price • 612-418-8401 • priceperformance@yahoo.com 19805 W. Lawnsdale Road, New Berlin, WI 53146 www.PricePerformanceHorses.com Ar abian Horse Times | 20 | English • 2017

English is our first language ... ... In the show ring!

Blazn Jewel HPF SF Specs Shocwave x Jeweled Spirit

WP Corporate America WP Corporate Image x Barbarys Angel

... And in the breeding shed!

Come and see the 2017 babies by Baske Afire, Baskghazi, SF Aftershoc, Afires Heir and Nutcracker’s Nirvana.

Illuminati VH SF Aftershoc x JB Rose Afire Vi c k i Hum p hrey, Jes si ca Cl i nton DeSoto, Gabe DeSoto Ca nton, Georg i a ~ 770.3 3 5 .6 1 9 4 ~ VHTC@Vi ck i Hu m p h rey.com w w w.Vic kiHu m phrey Tra ining Center.com

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PROUD OF OUR FOALS BY VJ ROYAL HEIR OUT OF RUMINA AFIRE AND HER DAUGHTER BL TORRID AFFAIR 2014 SD Sir Supreme VJ Royal Heir x Rumina Afire 6/13/2014 Bay Colt (The Dell Family) 2015 BL Royally Ridicuoulus VJ Royal Heir x Rumina Afire 1/23/2015 Bay Colt (BL Ranch) BL Now Or Never VJ Royal Heir x Rumina Afire 5/25/2015 Bay Filly (I Ask, LLC) 2016 Truly Royal SOF VJ Royal Heir x Rumina Afire 3/5/2016 Bay Colt (Southern Oaks Farm) Pending VJ Royal Heir x BL Torrid Affair 3/31/2016 Bay Filly ~ FOR SALE 2017 Pending VJ Royal Heir x BL Torrid Affair 1/13/2017 Bay Filly ~ FOR SALE Pending VJ Royal Heir x BL Torrid Affair 3/21/2017 Bay Colt ~ FOR SALE Pending VJ Royal Heir x Rumina Afire 3/23/2017 Bay Colt ~ FOR SALE Pending VJ Royal Heir x Rumina Afire 4/4/2017 Bay Filly (Highland Pride Arabians) Pending VJ Royal Heir x BL Torrid Affair 4/7/2017 Bay Colt (Southern Oaks Farm) Unborn VJ Royal Heir x Rumina Afire Due 4/30/2017

VJ ROYAL HEIR X RUMINA AFIRE

Afire Bey V x HL Raisa | BL Ranch, Steve & Diana Lazzarini | 760-219-5292 | DesertVIP@aol.com | www.RuminaAfire.com

FOUR-TIME U.S. NATIONAL UNANIMOUS CHAMPION & A LEADING SIRE OF ENGLISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONS FOUR-TIME U.S. NATIONAL UNANIMOUS CHAMPION & A LEADING SIRE OF ENGLISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONS WWW.AFIRESHEIR.COM WWW.AFIRESHEIR.COM Proudly owned by Bill & Shirley Reilich | Standing at Kiesner Training | 865.984.5245 Proudly owned by Bill & Shirley Reilich 3418 Miser Station Road, Louisville, TN 37777 | Multi-Program Nominated Sire Standing at Kiesner Training • 865.984.5245 3418 Miser Station Road, Louisville, TN 37777 Multi-Program Nominated Sire

KIESNER

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Ar abian Horse Times | 24 | English • 2017 schatzberg

schatzberg

janson vesty

ferrara

vesty

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Why Showtime Training?

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Why Not? 493 BOONE ROAD , N EWNAN , GA 30263 BARN 770-252-3300 T ISH K ONDAS 678-427-0595 C ARLA SCHILTZ 253-380-0853 W W W. S H OW T I M E T R A I N I N G C E N T E R . N E T

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2016 Half-Arabian Leading English Winner with 3 Championships 2 X C A N A D I A N & U. S . N AT I O N A L C H A M P I O N

Toi Sensation

CRF

(Matoi x Alpha Phi)

Gordon Potts • 817-312-4017 10312 County Road 1020 • Burleson, TX 76028

with Katie Harvey

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San Antonio, TX • www.kgbtexas.com

ENGLISH IS OUR TRADITION!

S I N C E

1 9 9 9

27109 South Creek Drive, Magnolia, Texas 77354 Trainers: Chase Har v il l, 480-338-0865 | Bailey Ba l lard | Breeding/ Barn Manager, Mandy Har v il l 480-338-0863 Email: chtrncntr@aol.com W W W.C H A S E H A RV I L L .C O M Ar abian Horse Times | 31 | English • 2017

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FIRED UP!

U.S. NATIONAL UNANIMOUS CHAMPION

Baske Afire x Ghreta, by El Ghazi 2014 U.S. NATIONA L R ESERV E CH A MPION AEPA Arabian Horse Times $10 0,0 0 0 Arabian English Futurit y Owned by Highland Pride Arabians Standing at Golladay Training | 515-520-7604 w w w.GolladayTraining.com

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…

Turning out Champion After Champion

OH DANCING ON HEIR (AFIRES HEIR X DD MY DANCE) 2016 CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPION COUNTRY ENGLISH PLEASURE JR. HORSE

JASON KROHN & RGT THE BOSS (AFIRES HEIR X STYLING TIME) 2016 U.S. AND CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPION H/A ENGLISH PLEASURE JR. HORSE

SD GR ACELAND (VEGAZ X EMPRESS OF BASK, BY AFIRE BEY V) 2016 U.S. RESERVE NATIONAL CHAMPION PLEASURE DRIVING

Jason Krohn, Lauren Grabski and Cassie Banks, Trainers Farm 903-882-5205 • genna@oakhavenarabians.com Jason Krohn 903-539-3812

W W W. OA K H AV E N A R A B I A N S . C O M Ar abian Horse Times | 34 | English • 2017

Rising Stars …

Lauren Grabski

CF BADR AS SYMPHON Y (BASKE AFIRE X SWEET DAY DREAM) NATIONAL CHAMPION

Cassie Banks

WICKED FIRE (BASKE AFIRE X CALLAWAY’S CARIOCA) NATIONAL CHAMPION

Jason Krohn, Lauren Grabski and Cassie Banks, Trainers Farm 903-882-5205 • genna@oakhavenarabians.com Jason Krohn 903-539-3812

W W W. OA K H AV E N A R A B I A N S . C O M Ar abian Horse Times | 35 | English • 2017

In The eye … RIchaRd WRIghT How long have you been associated with horses and in particular, the Arabian breed? During a family vacation to Yellowstone in the late 60’s, we stopped by Richard Neuman’s Arabian Heights, literally from an ad in the Arabian Horse News. I met the current national champion stallion, Mujahid. Mr Neuman’s kindness and his love of the Arabian horse was clearly infectious.

What separates the Arabian horse from other breeds?

I have ridden and judged many horses of various breeds that I am in awe of, but even in this age of specialization in our competitions, I find the Arabian to have an innate beauty and intelligence that is exciting and challenging to work with.

In starting a lesson program, what is the most important aspect to remember? You should only allow access to a horse or horses that would safely permit beginning riders to make the mistakes in balance and judgement that we have all made with no adverse reaction.

What is the best age for beginning lessons? It would depend on the individual child, but typically age 6 or 7.

How do you market your lesson program to the general public? Word of mouth has been the most effective for me.

How do you determine what discipline is the best for a horse/rider? Just as with a horse, you evaluate a rider’s physical and mental aptitude to determine what discipline would be the most enjoyable and successful.

How do you educate families on the expenses? I have never believed that the greatest expenditure insures the greatest result, but a greater budget can save time. A frank discussion of the need for quality along with a working knowledge of how to cut costs is a great conversation

to have and demonstrates empathy with the parents or responsible parties.

What do you think competing with horses can teach one in their adult life? This is the single most important reason to involve anyone of any age in riding and competing on a horse. The physical coordination and mental acuity needed to achieve specific results and the ability to prepare and experience both success and failure on a manageable scale is beyond any monetary cost. All of these must be achieved while involving empathy for another living being, requiring cooperation and consideration of an intended result.

Do you treat someone who is 35 and wanting to ride, different from someone who is 6? Each has pluses and minuses: young riders may have the ability to adapt more quickly to the physical requirements, but they also do not think things through as clearly. However, an adult’s ability to think more clearly can also lead him or her to be more impatient with their progress.

How do you incorporate team work into riding?

Teamwork is not an element of riding. It is the foundation and the essence of riding: horse and rider, coach and rider, and even you and your competitors.

For a barn that is predominately a breeding or halter farm, how would you convince them that lesson programs are important? Any introduction to horses furthers interest and broadens the market.

How do you deal with the city merging more and more into rural areas? Involvement in animals and agriculturerelated issues is essential to a well-rounded life even if the involvement is not permanent.

What advice would you give to someone that you wish had been given to you? There is nothing wrong with accepting money for what you would do with your life anyway. n

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The Arabian

Saddle Seat Horse

Opulence And VersAtility

T

Sofia Kavanaugh photo

he adaptability and elegance of the Arabian horse breed has always been part of its history and legacy. In times past, their usefulness spanned the gamut … halter horses were shown in saddle seat classes, western classes and vice versa. Decades ago the legendary Khemosabi was the perfect example, winning national honors in all of the above.

Nowadays, times have changed. English horse breeding has loomed forward with breeding goals, trainer barns and farm specialties. Today our horse shows offer specialty classes even within a particular discipline. Nowhere is this truer than with the Arabian saddle seat/English horse.

Whether one is competing at an ‘A’ rated event or the national level, the show schedule will invariably list a ‘variety pack’ of saddle seat/English disciplines in which rider and mount can compete. Our judges rule book and classroom teachings has very specific criteria used to judge each of these individual classes. The one commonality is this: a saddle seat horse must display spirit, charisma and a pleasure to perform. From there the details vary. The more disciplined nature of the country horse require it to patiently walk off on a loose rein. The brilliant, ‘bravo’ performances of the English pleasure and park horse classes show the flashiest foot fancy of our Arabian English horses.

Interwoven through all this, our saddle seat/English horses will perform behind the cart, show adorned in native costume attire, tacked up in dressage gear, and in posh saddle seat attire. Some partner with an amateur child in walk/trot classes.

Others compete with an adult amateur. Later, the same horse may ‘bring down the house’ with a professional in an open class performance.

It’s no wonder today’s saddle seat horse is our industry’s ‘uptown opulent’ performance ambassador for the Arabian breed.

On the following pages, some of our ‘people’ ambassadors share their thoughts on why it is their first choice.

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cArOl BrAgg Patchwork Pony, Riding Apparel How are you involved in the English pleasure discipline? Through our business, Patchwork Pony, a riding apparel and accessory consignment store, located in Charleston, West Virginia. Our main focus is on saddle seat, with a huge selection of riding suits/habits, formal tuxedos and day coats, along with all of the hats, boots and accessories that you will need for the show ring. We also have a large selection of hunt seat and western apparel, as well as road silks.

How long have you been involved in the English pleasure discipline?

Our daughter, Lexie Bragg, began riding saddle seat many years ago, when she was nine years old. There was no place in West Virginia to buy saddle seat apparel, so we started calling and visiting consignment stores to get what we needed. After a few years of searching, in 2008, we decided to open The Patchwork Pony, mostly to serve our local market.

At first we only had a few items, mostly from our daughter’s friends, but in a short time we were nationwide.

What draws you to English pleasure? The customers’ needs to have quality product. In addition to our shop, which grew very well on its

own, we also took over the inventory from The Good Habit, The Saddleseat Connection and Showcase Tack when they decided to shut down their consignment clothing businesses, and we are the exclusive consignors for Marsha DeArriaga, Hawkewood and Frierson’s. We have been told that we have the largest saddle seat consignment inventory in the country.

How do you see yourself continuing to grow in the industry? We think it’s all about providing quality products and fantastic service to both our customers and consignors. In order for this business to be successful, you have to have a good reputation—our consignors must trust that we are going to take care of their inventory and treat them fairly, and our customers have to trust that we will make them look great in the show ring for a fair price, and get what they need in their hands when they need it.

What is your favorite part about being connected to the English pleasure rider? We LOVE helping our customer’s look great in the show ring. There is nothing more special to me than seeing a smiling young rider point at me and tell her mom, “there’s the Patchwork lady,” or having a kid run up to me with their blue ribbon and give me a hug because we dressed her so well. Of course, I also like it when a consignor thanks me for the big consignment check they just received for last month’s sales. It’s all about the people and we love helping them.

JOe Burich

Farm Affilliation: Price Performance Horses

good ride in front of a screaming crowd.

What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? I like competing and I like speed, whether it’s on horses, in cars, or running, so the country/ English division was the right choice for me. I appreciate a good, talented horse in any division, but I particularly like the brilliance of English. It’s a rush when you are having a

Who has influenced you most in the industry? I’ve been influenced by a number of people, such as Mike Miller, John White, and John Golladay.

There are two others, however, that I feel have influenced me the most.

Kevin Price, my trainer, coach and, most importantly, my friend, has helped me achieve success as a rider that I never envisioned possible. I appreciate his Kevinisms: “Make it look like a ride in the park,” “Ride every step,” “Slow down,” and my favorite, “Good, Joe.” Then there’s Linda, my late wife. She was a dressage rider and frequently critiqued my riding; not in a harsh way, but I still didn’t always want to hear what she had to say even though I knew she was right.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? Two things: first, I had my first national championship ride last year in Canada at age 71; actually two … English and Park AAOTR. Second, I bred a great young country mare, Liliana JB, who is early in her show career. She is so big, beautiful and talented, I keep getting asked if I’ve bred her. I have not, but am investigating doing ET with her.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? It would be nice if there was a clearer definition of appropriate

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motion for country horses that was uniformly applied by judges. For the last couple years at U.S. Nationals, I kept hearing that extreme motion was going to be penalized as directed by the head of the judges. A clear definition would make this less unsettling. Another thing missing in the amateur classes is guys. My non-horse buddies kid me about the reason they think I like showing horses is because the riders are mostly women.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? That’s an easy one. It’s ready when Kevin says so. I’m kind of an aggressive rider, but, chronologically, I’m also kind of an old dude.

This could be a problem, but Kevin has a process he follows with every horse and he knows when it’s time to put me on. Then it’s a matter of how soon the horse and I become a good team. Another key for me is I like to be able to get on my horses, warm them up myself and then go in the ring. For me it’s a confidence thing.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

This is a difficult question, because one feature/part does not necessarily

make a great English horse. Good legs/feet, short cannons, short back, long/high set neck, flexible poll, ability and willingness to do their job, athleticism, soundness … all these are must haves. I also like my horses to be big and beautiful and am blessed to have two that have these qualities. But, if I have to point to one thing I value the most, it’s probably heart. A horse that loves me as much as I love it, gets a little buzz going into the show ring, tries it’s hardest to do what it’s been trained to do and is happy doing it. That’s my definition of a horse with a big heart.

What kind of footing do you prefer? I don’t like to show on footing that was previously used for showing reiners. There is one regional show we attend every year where this is the case. I worry that it will create soundness issues in the legs of my country/English horses. Less sandy, not as deep, a little more packed, but not rock hard; that would be preferred.

peter cOnwAy AEPA President What was the “Ah-ha!” moment in creating the AEPA for the / English division? We all know that big dollar prizes add tremendously to the excitement and prestige of a class. Joel Kiesner told me of his concept to create a $100,000 class for the English division and I was immediately “all in.” I was part of a group of like-minded people that understood the impact this program could have and we were off and running. We knew we had to do something that was permanent and self-sustaining. Many people made financial contributions for the good of the breed while we built up a permanent fund through the stallion auction. It is amazing to see the best in people and what they will contribute because of their love for the Arabian horse.

What exciting news can you share about the AEPA? The Half-Arabian Futurity has a new sponsor: Equine Athlete Veterinary Services. This is a perfect fit. They are onsite at every major Arabian show and I can

personally attest to the level of service and expertise they provide. We are proud to have them as the named sponsor for the AEPA Equine Athlete Half-Arabian Futurity at U.S. Nationals.

Is there something you feel is missing within the English division? I would very much like to see the creation of a marketplace for English prospects similar to the Keeneland Auction for Thoroughbred horses. I think the transparency of that process would be good for the industry and for breeders. Unfortunately, attempts to make it work have failed.

Perhaps someday we can get there.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the AEPA Futurity?

Interesting question and different trainers and owners may have different thoughts. At Conway, training begins early in their 3-year-old year and, of course, the AEPA class isn’t until they are late 4-yearolds. That allows us to bring them along slowly and allow them to mature physically and mentally. After that, it’s a question of talent, but remember that a well-trained country horse can make it into the top ten.

Even 10th place pays $5,000 and it goes up from there. The individual pattern class provides a great opportunity to show off your breeding program and to market horses, so we try to bring a horse every year.

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JOel gAngi Gangi, Inc. / Boisvert Farm What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/English division? I didn’t have one of those!

Who has influenced you most in the industry? My parents, Gil Chavez Jr., David Gardner and Gene LaCroix.

leAh gOllAdAy

Farm Affilliation: Cedar Ridge Arabians What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/English division? I have shown in this division since walk-trot! I think I always preferred English!

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? I think each horse tells us what it wants to do, and the indications that a horse is ready to move forward in training are probably similar in each division. I think balance is the biggest indicator.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most? I appreciate a happy horse who likes the job, and one who is soft and bridles easily.

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KAtie hArVey

Farm Affilliation: The Brass Ring What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? I’ve always enjoyed the country/English division. It’s such a fluid discipline that has a high energy level, but also isn’t so technical that perfection is required every step of the way. I have a huge amount of respect for people who show in the western division successfully. It’s much harder than English, in my opinion. Believe it or not, reining and English carry a lot of skill requirements and techniques.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? There have been many. I have learned from watching lots of folks and have observed both good and bad on every level, including riding, ring presentation, sportsmanship and peer support.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? I think I enjoy watching the Maturity classes the most. I love seeing the next group of young horses that are on the horizon. And it’s also nice to see a class where perfection isn’t the key winning determination, but rather quality and presentation.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? Sometimes I feel that quality and expression are not rewarded as often as it should in the English division. I don’t feel that it’s 100% about who trots higher, but rather the overall picture and balance. But overall, our English/country horses are better than they have ever been and do their jobs beautifully.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most? I love a horse that has as great expression. I also like a horse that is square and has a good solid hind end. And let’s see … a long upright neck, beautiful face, big eye, and a great mover. Isn’t that basically a dream horse? I’ll take ten of those, please!

chAse hArVill Chase Harvill Training Centre What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? As a 14 year old kid when I rode an English horse named Panama Red for the first time. I had only ridden western horses before him, but I knew right then I wanted to ride trotting horses, because I loved the power and animation.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? Bob Battaglia. Not only did he teach me how to train a horse, but he also taught me to be a horseman as well. I think he always wanted me to be a horseman first and horse trainer second.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? SF Aftershoc! What an amazing stallion I get to manage and stand. Many of the greatest English breeders in the world are breeding to SF Aftershoc. It is so rewarding to help the future of the English arena with his great babies.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I think our English division is full of great horses and amazing trainers as well. Performances of these horses are at an all-time high, in my opinion. The only thing I would love to see changed is less cuts on our horses at the national level. Sometimes we are seeing the better rides in the cuts instead of the finals because the horses are not as fresh.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? When they are strong enough to support their collected frame and way of going. They will show tremendous balance and presence when they are ready to begin their career.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

While you cannot have a great English/country horse without good conformation and athleticism. I really appreciate a horse that is strong mentally and has a great work ethic.

What kind of footing do you prefer? I love the footing in my arena at the farm! It is a great mix of bank sand, cement sand, shavings and top soil. The best footing at any facility in the country is at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. I am saving my change in a jar to buy that footing for my arena!

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BrAd hill, dVM

And

ty wAllis, dVM, Ms, dAcVs, pArtners

Equine Athletic Veterinary Services How are you involved in the English pleasure discipline?

With over 30 years combined veterinary medical experience in the Arabian industry, Equine Athlete is heavily involved in helping trainers and owners manage all aspects of their horse’s veterinary care. Locations in Lansing, MI and Pilot Point, TX, allow both partners and their team of associate veterinarians to visit training stables across the country multiple times per year. During these visits, our team is able to evaluate clients’ horses, assess their health and condition prior to major events, as well as monitor the recovery and rehabilitation of horses that are injured. This gives us the opportunity to diagnose and make recommendations for the medical management of patients and provide on-site treatment for a variety of conditions.

the west side of the country to open the next branch of Equine Athlete Veterinary Services to provide greater access for our customers. We are committed to continual improvement and expansion in order to evolve with our customers’ needs.

What is your favorite part about being connected to the English pleasure rider? Seeing a horse and rider come out of the ring after a great ride and being a part of their team is extremely rewarding for our entire staff. But what is most rewarding is helping riders accomplish their goals by ensuring their horse is fit, sound, and happy, allowing them to perform to their highest level.

Equine Athlete is the official show veterinarian for the U.S., Canadian and Youth National Championship Horse Shows, as well as numerous Regional and Class A shows. We have a doctor on-site for at least 25 Arabian horse shows across the country. This commitment to being on-site at shows ensures continuity of care and peace of mind for our patients and clients when they leave home.

Board certified surgeon and co-owner, Dr. Ty Wallis, performs elective orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries at our facility in Pilot Point and an affiliated hospital in Michigan. In addition, Equine Athlete also provides pre-purchase evaluations and consultations across the country.

Equine Athlete is excited to be sponsoring the AEPA Equine Athlete Half-Arabian Futurity for the first time this year!

How long have you been involved in the English pleasure discipline?

Since 2003.

What draws you to English pleasure? Much like our appreciation for other disciplines, we understand the superb athleticism and level of soundness required for a successful exhibition of an English pleasure horse. It is very exciting and fulfilling to be a part of the team leading this initiative.

How do you see yourself growing in this industry? Equine Athlete recently launched an online pharmacy, making ordering and receiving medications a more streamlined process for our customers. As our practice grows, we will also continue to open new locations around the country. In 2018, our associate Dr. Krystle O’Cull, will be relocating to

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VicKi huMphrey

Sofia Kavanaugh photo

Vicki Humphrey Training Center What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/English division? I was training all disciplines from western to dressage, and was helping Tom Donnelley’s wife school her western horse who was bridling high and not softening at the withers. We were outside and a storm came over blowing and raining. I galloped the mare to the barn and by the time I got there, she was snorting and blowing and trotting very high. I asked Tom if I could put an English saddle on her, which I did. And she never saw a western saddle again. She was hooked and I was hooked.

Her name was FF Summer Storm.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? Addressing the country division specifically, the class has suffered as we tried as riders and judges to find the right balance between a soft, quiet-mouthed easy moving country horse and maintain an exciting show horse as well. When the horses got too aggressive and unmannerly for our ideal, we corrected it by putting a huge emphasis on the walk and loose rein walk. While this succeeded in addressing

the issue, it has been so over emphasized, that it has taken the show out of the class. The long walks and loose rein walks are boring and any audience that still comes to shows is asleep. The walk, while extremely important, can be judged in five steps to determine if a horse is a willing, happy, quiet-mouthed walker. We also took out the “reverse and trot” in most cases in these classes. I think a country horse should be able to perform that maneuver quietly and softly and still add a little excitement to the show. I would like to see more “show” back in our shows, and leave the training techniques for the warm-up ring.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? They must first be capable of technically performing all the required gaits and transitions. When they have practiced these maneuvers until they are confident and sure footed, to show successfully, they must be able to do them with energy and enthusiasm, with the appearance of a great, happy and willing attitude and the conditioning to do it for an extended period of time What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

Attitude.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Horses have an amazing ability to adjust to different footings. The most important element in an arena is that the footing be consistent.

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chAd Judy

Farm Affilliation: Empress Arabians

What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? I’m not really sure I can say I have an “Ah-ha!” moment. I have loved horses all my life and I just happened upon a path that lead me to where I am. I am extremely blessed that I get to train country/English horses, but there was never one moment that made me choose it.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? This is such a tricky question. I started out over 25 years ago, and in the beginning I worked for Ray LaCroix. Ray was probably my biggest influence then as he always believed in me. As time has gone on though, I have to definitely mention Brian Murch as an influence as well. He is just a great man all the way around, and I strive to be as honest as he is and to carry myself like he has. He’s a talented trainer, an honest friend and a dedicated father, husband and (I’m sure) son. His positive outlook is something I try to maintain myself, every day.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? I’m always trying to present a positive

product. A happy, sound, well trained horse for my clients is always the goal. And if spectators can enjoy what I do, that is just icing on the cake!

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I think the biggest thing missing are the numbers at our local and regional levels. The horses get fancier every year and I think that makes people shy away from showing country/English. We have gotten to the point where sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a country horse and an English horse. I feel like we as trainers and judges need to step up to help fix this issue.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? When a horse can do its job without taking a long amount of warm-up. Conditioning is a big part of all horses being ready to show, in my book. It helps them do their job quicker, easier and happier. This division is all about the horse being a pleasure to show, so being happy is a big part of that.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

This is the easiest answer … a horse’s mind and heart. A good mind will make a trainable horse and a good heart will make them happy doing their job.

What kind of footing do you prefer? At the farm we have a mix of fine grain sand, non-woven textile and cushioning additives. It is great!

JOel Kiesner Kiesner Training

What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? I found that one needed to have curly hair to do halter, so that was out.

And growing up in Minnesota through modest means, I found we couldn’t afford the fancy silver saddles, so that left English! Oh, and heaps of good luck!

Who has influenced you most in the industry? My father, Dick Kiesner, and Gene and Ray LaCroix.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? The horses are just getting better. Every year. We are also breeding better, both purebred and Half-Arabians, and seeing new crops every year is very exciting.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I think that we let too many people question what we do and don’t believe in that what we are doing is awesome! Self-examination is always good, but if you let people around you tell you what they think is right, it doesn’t offer stability to the industry that tradition and strongly held beliefs offers. What we have going is truly great. Our care and professionalism has never looked so good. Don’t stand in fear, but in the belief that we are doing a great job.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? When they know their job and are comfortable and strong enough to do it.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most? I’ve ridden all kinds; those with good back ends, some only front. I’ve ridden those with both, but if they have a bad neck, it makes everything worse and they aren’t any fun to ride.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Not too deep or hard, and moves under the horse’s foot.

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steVe lAzzArini BL Ranch What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/English division?

Was it watching Gene LaCroix riding MHR Nobility? Or was it the late nights at a horse show watching the great talented trainers he trained and continues to work with, working horses for that next class. Or was it listening to Ray LaCroix telling me, “you need to buy this horse (Rumina Afire) because she will wear the ‘Roses’” ...Whichever it is, gratefully, I love being involved with the country/ English division and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? Wow, that is a tough question, as I’ve had several incredible people in this industry influence me: Gene and Ray LaCroix, Irwin Schimmel, Tim and Marty Shea, Joel Kiesner, Jimmy Stachowski, Jenn Trickey, and I can go on and on about the incredible people in my horse life. The one that sticks out the most would be my late wife, Barbara, and who looks down on myself, our breeding program, babies and, of course, Rumina Afire (which was her horse). Thank you for being that little bird in the barn that influences us to keep doing our part to breed better than before!

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? That we have been working with new,

young breeders wanting to start a breeding program. We have sold a few Rumina embryos to them to start out as there foundation in this new venture, to carry on what we at BL Ranch have going and all the great breeders before me.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? Square trotting, cadenced, bridled and happy horses in the show ring. It should be like two ballroom dancers performing in harmony and timing. I, unfortunately, see only a handful in each class, which really bothers me. It makes me want to breed even better horses, so we can see that greatness like in the past.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? The horse will let you know (so does “god”, whoever your trainer is). Just trying a little humor in an all-important question like this. When that horse in my opinion is balanced, bridled, cadenced and ready to go, you will see that pretty picture under saddle.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

You need the whole package: hip, length of leg, depth of shoulder, neck and throw in a little pretty. So, I would say all of those traits plus trainability are very important to be the best possible in the country/ English division.

What kind of footing do you prefer? D.G. mixed in with fiber.

MiKe Miller

Farm Affilliation: Springwater Farms Arabians Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/ English division? We still struggle with a clear delineation between the country and English divisions. Both horses are up-headed with vertical motion, but it is all about degree of motion, impulsion and carriage.

We have a number of beautiful, up-headed horses with moderate motion that are true country horses that don’t get rewarded because they don’t have “enough motion”. There is a small percentage of horses in our breed that are physically and mentally able to be great English horses. If it takes that same individual to compete in the country division, we have greatly limited our pool

of prospects. In the same vein, sometimes the pressure for motion and impulsion in the English pleasure division has advanced to the point that I think we have lost the “pleasure”. Often times, the park class is almost nonexistent. If we could stick a little more closely to our class specs, we could have three distinct English divisions again: country, English and park.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

Attitude. They have to want to do their job and like it. I will take a horse that wants to work and enjoys its job over a superior athlete with a poor attitude any day.

What kind of footing do you prefer? A sandy base and wood product or fiber mixed in.

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ericA MilligAn Milligan Training

horse—he does an amazing job.

What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/English division?

I would have to say there is no feeling quite like riding an English horse. It’s simply an amazing adrenaline rush.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I feel our breeders, owners and trainers can excel to whatever level the English division will go.

Who had influenced you most in the industry? I would have to say I love being able to watch an English class and be able to pick out a Joel Kiesner trained

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

Heart, heart, heart … they have to want it as much as you do.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? When the horse starts to carry itself naturally and drives square off all fours.

What kind of footing do you prefer? It is such an important factor. I use sand, always keeping it watered and worked; keeping it firm with lots of give.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? I’m training my first driving horse.

cArMelle rOOKer Rooker Training Stable What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? When I was 14 years old, my 4H group took a field trip to U.S. Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. It was the first time I had ever seen English pleasure horses of that caliber.

I remember watching Gene LaCroix trot up and down Freedom Hall and thinking that is exactly what I wanted to do someday.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? My husband, Shawn Rooker. He pushes me to be better every day and teaches me so much.

We make a great team.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? Quantity of horses. There just aren’t enough quality English pleasure horses available to fulfill the popular demand at competitive price points.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? Young horses tell you when they are ready to begin their show career. Some are stronger and come along quicker, while others need more time to mature and develop. They are ready when they are mentally and physically prepared to do their job.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most? When the gate opens and an English horses raises its neck, puts its ears up, and heads confidently into the show ring, excited to be there and ready to take you to the winners circle.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Shavings.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? We have such a great group of horses and clients, that going to work every day doesn’t feel like work at all.

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tiM sheA Shea Stables Who has influenced you most in the industry? Originally, Bob Hart Sr. and Bill Bohl, who I worked for. Later, Gene and Ray LeCroix, and Sheila Varian.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division?

The 4-year-old stallion, Inception, bred and owned by Maroon Fire Arabians. He is in training with Joel Kiesner, getting ready for the $100,000 Futurity class in Tulsa.

Inception is several generations of Maroon Fire breeding, sired by IXL Noble Express and out of Bonita Afire, by Afire Bey V whose dam was Bacharah, by Barbary. Maroon Fire and Shea Stables will be breeding a significant number of mares to him this year as well as standing him to the public.

divisions. I would like to see the divisions evened out with more representation in each. English horses could be trained for park. I also would like to see the driving divisions get stronger again. For the horses that can be trained to drive, it can be a big benefit to their overall training program. For exhibitors that are not riders, it is really a fun way to show a horse.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? I think for a horse to develop correctly, it takes years. In our instant gratification society, people expect 3 & 4 year old horses to do what 7 & 8 year olds can do and that is unrealistic.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most? The excitement factor is what I call “All The Ups” … legs up, head up, tail up, eyes up, ears up. It is a beautiful picture and an exciting ride when a horse is under saddle at his proudest.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Generally a sand and shavings mix.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I think a certain percentage of horses can be in different

JAcque thOMpsOn Smokey Mountain Park Arabians What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? When a friend of mine wanted to demonstrate “how to be a park horse rider” on my leased Arabian gelding, who had previously been used as a barrel horse. As soon as my friend landed in the saddle, she and my horse headed down the rail in a long, low, smooth “floating trot.” After a couple of trips around the ring, however, I was astonished to see my friend transform my gelding’s floating trot into a terrifically light, super airy, super collected, elevated in front, hindquarters down, driving park trot. It was my first exposure to saddle seat and I was 100% hooked.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? There are many. But to name a few: Jim Fisher, Joel Kiesner, Vicki Humphrey, and breeders Marty and Tim Shea, along with Barbra Chur.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? Our stallions are producing amazing foals, a number of which have shown and won at U.S. Nationals. We have many babies and youngsters at the farm who show every sign that they will follow in their older siblings’ hoofsteps.

I’m also extremely excited about our training program. We are very focused on creating horses that are fun and safe for amateurs, particularly those riders for whom a safe, solid, consistent horse is paramount.

We are focusing heavily in 2017 on bringing new people into the sport.

We have updated and grown our website, and created a database of our horses. We will be on expanding our outreach to potential newcomers in our region. We feel strongly that the industry needs to do more and better marketing in order to start a conversation with those who love horses, but who are not already involved with Arabians. It is our intention to blaze new trails in this area, and then to share our results with others so that the Arabian industry, as a whole, can benefit and grow.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? My clientele is largely high-end professionals and their clients.

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They consistently tell me that the only horses they are interested are the top 2-5% of what the industry can produce. Industry-wide, that means saddle seat-centered breeders end up being unable to command a good price for 95-98% of the horses they breed What is causing this lack of demand for the 95 to 98% of English bred horses? Nobody knows for sure, and, most likely, there is more than one reason for it.

We do know this, however: the number of monthly Google searches in the U.S.A. for the term “horseback riding” is currently around 73,500.

We also know that monthly Google searches for the term “horseback riding near me” is around 49,500. Then there is the monthly U.S. search volume for “Arabian horse,” which is currently at 33,000, while U.S. Google searches for the term “Arabian horse for sale” is around 1,600.

These search results indicate to me that there are a lot of people who are interested in riding, and in Arabian horses. The big question is, what are we doing to reach them so we can bring them into our industry?

Then, if we can get them into our industry, we need to determine which are interested in participating in shows. Then, finally, for those who are interested in showing, we need to figure out on what level they can afford to participate.

One of the things that I feel is an impediment to getting many to participate in the English divisions at shows is the shoeing of our English horses. I’ll take a minute here to expound upon this, as it is something that is relatively easy for the industry to control, so it is something that can be easily and quickly addressed.

As the breeder and owner of numerous national winners, I have some experience about what it takes to succeed in the English divisions. One of the most basic things that all English horses need are longer hooves with weighted, padded shoes. While this is fine for me, this is a problem for a lot of potential English horse competitors, as these “shoeing packages” are both very expensive and, often, difficult to acquire.

the amateurs for income. The more amateurs we have, the more income those amateurs can generate in the marketplace for both breeders and trainers.

These classic classes could help establish a bottom to our horse market.

Anyone who watches investment stocks knows, that markets for any commodity must find a bottom price in order to rebound. We need to rebound, and to do so as soon as possible.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? When they are old enough and strong enough to do their job efficiently, without injury and in a mentally balanced state. For most Arabians, that is likely to be no earlier than 4 years old. Personally, I like show horses that are older rather than younger. That is most likely because my first Arabian was 12 years old before I began showing him.

He had not been worn out by being used as a show horse at an early age. He was simply stronger than the younger horses against which he competed.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most? I think the Country/English pleasure division is one of the showiest of our riding divisions and make in my mind, a very strong impression on spectators in the stands.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Something that has a solid base, such as clay, with a few inches of something softer on the top, such as stone dust or masonry sand. Footing is kind of like the Goldilocks and the Three Bears. You don’t want something that’s too hard, nor something that’s too soft.

Even if one can afford to keep a horse shod in this way, to have access to a farrier who can shoe a horse can be difficult. Generally, to have access to a farrier who can create these show packages, one needs to keep their horse at a large show barn, since most show horse farriers will not travel to small barns.

Now, I’m not saying that we should do away with the classes that require this sort of shoeing. However, I do feel that we could add some, what I like to call “classic,” English pleasure classes to our shows. These classic classes would not permit heavily weighted, padded shoes, and so would allow those who do not have access to, or do not like, weighted shoes, to be competitive.

I know that this idea is designed to make our sport more appealing and accessible to more amateurs. I also imagine that these are scary words to many professionals, who may fear an already amateur-leaning market.

However, I believe there is much to be gained by the market being further pulled in that direction. After all, professionals are reliant on Ar abian Horse Times | 49 | English • 2017

MAry trOwBridge

Trowbridge’s Ltd.

What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division?

When I realized that I could make a horse “go” better than I could make it “whoa”!

Who has influenced you most in the industry? Bill Bohl, Tim Shea, Bob Hart Jr. and Bob Hart Sr. What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? After over four decades of riding and showing English horses, I still have not perfected the art, and am enjoying learning more about it each year. It’s a heady drug, with an adrenaline rush possible for every stride; a division that includes elegance, beauty, speed and athletic ability at all times—like most anything that involves Arabian horses. Truly, a gift.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I sure wish that as a community we could find it within

ourselves to revisit the criteria surrounding the country division so that there was a greater, more obvious difference between country, English and park.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? By listening to and evaluating the horse. One of my greatest disappointments in our industry today is that we are asking more from young horses than we should be, whether we be judges, owners or exhibitors, at the expense of their long-term health and soundness.

Especially today, when we are no longer breeding the number of horses that we need to fill the demand, as a group we should be protecting the long-term serviceability of these great horses, not squandering it in their 3-, 4- and 5-year-old years.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

Their heart, drive and ambition.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Personally, a firmer footing. I hate soft, deep footing. A clay/sand mix with some organic material in it, not deeper than 3-4 inches, is ideal for most of our horses. And, of course, any of the premier footings that have been recognized as advantageous by all the other high performance breeds, and necessary to THEIR long term soundness, is ideal.

cAthy Vescey

Farm Affilliation: Vicki Humphrey Training Center and a member of “Green Team” at Trowbridge’s What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? I didn’t have an ah-ha “moment”, but an ah-ha “horse”—Mon Bandaid! He and I found our path together and it has just evolved from there.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? All of the people I idolized and grew up watching ride such amazing horses. Obviously, Vicki, Jimmy and Peter, mainly because I rode with all of them and they have been so giving of their talent and so patient in their teaching and explanations.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? My win in the AOTR Park for the 7th time with Mandalay Bay this year.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I think the age divisions could be adjusted, and with the many choices of classes these horses now have at Nationals, maybe it is time to consider making one of those classes into an ATR class so select riders aren’t the only ones with the option of riding a horse they aren’t required to own. On a non-related topic, I would love to see Formal Driving brought back.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? When all of the basics are rock solid and the expectations are made clear to the horse so there is no frustration and they are not just showing on adrenaline and nervous energy. They can all “show and blow” if they are geared up and people whistle like crazy, but are they trained in all of the basics so they can be productive show horses for a long time to come and do their job in every gait with consistency and confidence?

To show in a high energy, fast paced class, horses must be confident and use their buzz in a productive manner and they need to learn to love the buzz.

Ar abian Horse Times | 50 | English • 2017

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

Attitude and then cadence and balance.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Given a choice, every day of my life I would ride on the footing that they use at the Central Park Show.

I have never ridden on anything that incredible! I also liked the footing in Ford Truck arena as long as it is not too deep. I wish all the areas that

led up to Ford Truck had the same footing, from the warm-up ring to the show ring. Hard packed footing is the kiss of death for me as is soft deep footing. I like horses that have something that they can use to push off of so they can drive forward, rather than pull themselves through soft, deep footing.

cAthy Vincent Adandy Farm What was your “Ah-ha!” moment that had you choosing the Country/ English division? There was no country when I first started.

But seeing AH Aleksandra win the national championship with Joanne Fox, I thought she was so beautiful and amazing, depicting perfection for what they were asking in a country horse. Later, John and Gloria Scott bought the mare from another owner and that’s how I ended up showing her. AH Aleksandra blessed me with some national championships too, later in Canada and a reserve at U.S.

How do you know when a horse is ready for the Country/English division? Well, we don’t push. We had one since the age of 3, but we couldn’t show him when he turned 4; he wasn’t ready. Time, patience, diligence. You can’t push or press; the horses tell you when they are ready to go and I listen to them every day.

What feature/part of a Country/English horse do you value most?

Form to function; athletic. You can’t drag a low headed horse. They have to be built to do the job. They have to be able to engage from their rear end first, rear end down, front end up; they have to be very attractive and high quality.

What kind of footing do you prefer? Tan bark shavings, a tiny bit of sand, and rubber (which is ground up Nike shoes) all mixed together. It is a beautiful base.

Who has influenced you most in the industry? My mother and father, who taught me to follow my dream; Stanley White Sr. was the best teacher; Miss Kitty was the best horse show mom in the world; and Bob Hart Sr. took me under his wing, started me, and helped me step forward and up with the English horse. He taught me the importance of full bridling horses and how to better my English pleasure horse.

What exciting news can you share about your involvement within the Country/English division? We have a Half-Arabian and a purebred that are great horses who will be entering the ring soon, and we have a great group of young English/country horses also coming up.

Is there something you feel is missing within the Country/English division? I think it’s absolutely spectacular. The divisions are separated beautifully, and judges are doing great. We have bettered ourselves in training, judging, performing and breeding. It’s a positive, amazing thing to watch them. It’s as good as it gets right now. We are breeding predominantly for English horses and that’s what we’ve needed, to really clean up our breed and we have—it’s beautiful.

Sofia Kavanaugh photo Ar abian Horse Times | 51 | English • 2017

2016 ders nAtiOnAl english leAders

Includes U.S., Canadian and Youth National English Champion and Reserve wins. AEPA Saddle Seat Futurity, English Pleasure, Country English, and Park Horse classes. Open and amateur/junior classes only

Overall arabian & Half-arabian leading HOrses rses

by number of wins

1. Titleist BF 2. Extraordin Heir Toi Sensation CRF 3. Bells And Whistles Big And Rich SCA 4. Supreme Sensation SMP 5. Brass Star Cajun Princeof Monaco CRF Shinning Encore D M Fireproof DA Heatstroke Davinci Reflection WA Emperors Fire GSF Alejandro RA Alliza REA My Allience RGT The Boss ROL Firecracker SA Gisele Sal Mineo BF Tribbiani

1 championship, hampionship, 3 reserves 3 championships 3 championships 2 championships, hampionships, 1 reserve 2 championships, hampionships, 1 reserve 3 reserves 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships

Owner Boisvert Farms LLC Boisv Shamrock Farms LLC Shamr KGB Texas Marketing K Doug or Kristi Stewart Joseph Burich Alpert Arabians LLC Simon or Jane P Pate Wendy or Kaitlyn Ruonavaara W Lawrence Jerome The Silbernagel Family Remington Remingt on Monroe Equine LLC Kendyl P Peters Arabians, Inc. Starline Arabians LLC St Bill Castro Malou and St Steven Perricone Gregg and Nancy Shafer Oak H Haven South Arabians LLC Sarah Beth Womble Starline Arabians LLC St Boisvert Arabians LLC Christina and Frances Nardi

1 championship, 3 reserves 3 championships 2 championships, 1 reserve 3 reserves 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships

Owner Boisvert Farms LLC Shamrock Farms LLC Joseph Burich Alpert Arabians LLC Simon or Jane Pate Lawrence Jerome Remington Monroe Equine LLC Sarah Beth Womble Starline Arabians LLC Christina and Frances Nardi

arabian leading HOrses

by number of wins

1. Titleist BF 2. Extraordin Heir 3. Big And Rich SCA 4. Supreme Sensation SMP 5. Brass Star CRF Shinning Encore DA Heatstroke ROL Firecracker SA Gisele Tribbiani

Half-arabian leading HOrses by number of wins

1. Toi Sensation CRF 2. Bells And Whistles 3. Cajun Princeof Monaco D M Fireproof Davinci Reflection WA Emperors Fire GSF Alejandro RA Alliza REA My Allience RGT The Boss Sal Mineo BF

3 championships 2 championships, 1 reserve 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships 2 championships Ar abian Horse Times | 52 | English • 2017

Owner KGB Texas Marketing Doug or Kristi Stewart Wendy or Kaitlyn Ruonavaara The Silbernagel Family Kendyl Peters Arabians, Inc. Starline Arabians LLC Bill Castro Malou and Steven Perricone Gregg and Nancy Shafer Oak Haven South Arabians LLC Boisvert Arabians LLC

arabian Overall leading sires by number of winning get

1. Afire Bey V 2. Afires Heir 3. Baske Afire 4. IXL Noble Express Vegaz 5. Black Daniels

17 15 12 6 6 5

arabian leading sires

by number of Arabian winning get

1. Afires Heir 2. Afire Bey V 3. XL Noble Express Vegaz 4. Apollopalooza

by number of wins 1. Afire Bey V 2. Afires Heir Baske Afire 3. IXL Noble Express 4. Matoi 5. Allience Black Daniels Nobilistic BF Vegaz

25 19 19 8 7 6 6 6 6

by number of Arabian wins 13 10 5 5 3

1. Afire Bey V 2. Afires Heir 3. IXL Noble Express 4. Vegaz 5. Nobilistic BF

by number of Half-Arabian winning get

by number of Half-Arabian wins

1. Baske Afire 2. Afire Bey V 3. Allience 4. Black Daniels Mamage

1. Baske Afire 2. Afire Bey V 3. Allience 4. Mamage Matoi

10 7 4 3 3

Overall leading Open Trainers (Top Ten included) by points

1. Joel Kiesner 2. Jason Krohn 3. James Stachowski 4. Dalton Budd 5. Joel Gangi Jonathan Ramsay 6. Jessica Clinton Gabe DeSoto 7. Leah Beth Golladay 8. Gordon Potts

Ar abian Horse Times | 53 | English • 2017

86 80 62 61 56 56 43 43 38 33

17 16 7 5 4

17 8 6 5 5

Overall leading Owners by number of horses

1. Boisvert Farms LLC 2. Starline Arabians LLC 3. Conway Arabians, Inc. Kirby Arabians LLC Remington Monroe Equine LLC

arabian leading Owners

Half-arabian leading Owners

by number of horses

1. Kirby Arabians LLC 2. Candace Avery Conway Arabians, Inc. Simon or Jane Pate Remington Monroe Equine LLC Shamrock Farms LLC Starline Arabians LLC Whispers Acres, Inc.

by number of horses

3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Overall leading breeders

1. Boisvert Farms LLC 2. Starline Arabians LLC

4 2

arabian leading breeders by number of horses

by number of horses

1. Maroon Fire Arabians, Inc. 2. Cedar Ridge Farm Prestige Farms LLC 3. Nick and Juliet Carden 4. Boisvert Farms LLC California State Polytechnic Univ.

Vicki Humphrey Lindsay Rinehart Marty Shea

5 4 3 3 3

8 7 7 6 4 4 4 4 4

1. Maroon Fire Arabians, Inc. 2. Prestige Farms LLC 3. Cedar Ridge Farm Nick and Juliet Carden 4. California State Polytechnic Univ.

5. R O Lervick Arabians Lindsay Rinehart

8 6 5 5 4 3 3

Half-arabian leading breeders by number of horses

1. Vicki Humphrey 2. Boisvert Farms LLC Marty Shea Shawn Stachowski 3. Cedar Ridge Farm Laura Gault and Joseph Faircloth Heather Johnson-Tracey Steve and Diana Lazzarini Live Oak Arabians, Inc.

Sofia Kavanaugh photo Ar abian Horse Times | 54 | English • 2017

4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2

Saddle Seat Equitation Picture Perfect

S

addle Seat Equitation is unique in the show ring: it is the only class in which the rider, rather than the horse, is judged. Yes, it can be argued that if the horse doesn’t look good and doesn’t do its job, the rider won’t impress the judges, and that’s true. And that the overall picture of horse and rider, in their proportion to each other and with the coordination of the rider’s habit to the color of the horse, is important. Sure. But in the end, no one else in the show ring faces the challenge an “eq” rider does. An equitation star has to not only achieve results with his or her horse, but must be in as-close-toperfect form as possible. In contrast, an English rider can be all over the saddle, as long as the horse is trotting like a daddy-long-legs spider. Not to mention, in the other divisions, the classes come in together most of the time; saddle seat equitation riders do too, for the rail work part of the competition—but then they are on their own, rather like in dressage, in the spotlight with their horses, all eyes on them. One mistake and everyone watching sees it (and often gasps). Concentration is a must and communication with the horse is absolutely essential. In a class of a dozen entries, a minor mistake may go undetected; in an interlude of one, it doesn’t.

It may be easy for spectators to assume that the beautiful art of equitation is all about form, but that is missing the point of this demanding discipline. Winning here takes practice, physical and mental training, and focus, and that’s just for the rider; the horse has likewise requirements, and there is never a guarantee that all parties will be on the same page on the same day. To learn more about what it takes to succeed, AHT went to some of the top riders in the Equitation ring today.

Ar abian Horse Times | 55 | English • 2017

Hadley Ames

Instructors: Leah Golladay and Stephanie Davisson Number of years competing: 3 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? In the warmup, I try to focus more on my form than I normally do.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? 2-3 times per week.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? I do competitive all-star cheer; it really helps with my body placement and focus.

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? I think it’s important to not overthink it. I don’t have a lot of equitation experience, so I just try to go out there and improve each time.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? They are very good at setting the expectations and remaining positive with my challenges and disappointments.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? No, I’m not superstitious, but it’s important to know that my family is there watching and supporting me.

Emma Kate Elgan

weights and do exercises which focus on my core. I walk or do other forms of cardio.

Instructor: Lisa Jo White

Number of years competing: 8 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? I think there’s a natural tendency for people to think the classes are different, so the preparation must be different, however, for me, I don’t prepare differently. A pretty picture of horse and rider leaves an impression, regardless of what the class is. Yes, for equitation there are different requirements and expectations and I will have a heightened focus on my position, legs, hands, etc., but I am still expected to show my horse in a way that assures he looks his best.

So even for pleasure classes, I try to show like I’m in an equitation class. This also helps me from developing bad habits that might crop up if I let my guard down in pleasure.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? Never as much as I would like! It’s gotten harder now that I’m with Lisa Jo White in Illinois, and I live in Michigan, but I try to get there at least two weekends a month during winter and spring, and then during the summers, Lisa is great and lets me go and stay with her several days every other week.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? I play volleyball and softball which helps with staying in shape, but also helps with mental sharpness. Then I like to lift

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? I have a “process” that I follow before my equitation classes that starts when I arrive at the show and get my number. My mom has this thing about numbers and what makes a good number or a bad number.

Interestingly enough, according to her, I’ve never gotten a “bad” number!

Then Lisa and the rest of her riders will map out the plan for who will practice at what time. Having a plan is important to give me focus. If there’s a pattern involved, I get it right away and study it and learn it, but I don’t pick my “points” until on my horse and with Lisa, because I’m less likely to get confused if we have to change them. Then I just try to enjoy my team and have fun until my class.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? I’ve been incredibly lucky with my equitation instructors. Mike and Terri Budd started me down my equitation journey and they were really good to work with, because they were honest (sometimes brutally!), but then always came back with something that they liked that I had done. They gave me a great foundation and also provided me the opportunity to own and show Run Forest Run, who is the absolute best equitation horse anyone could have.

Lisa Jo White helps me understand the why of what I’m doing to improve; it’s constructive. She explains how it’s impacting the ride, the horse, and the picture that makes it easier to grasp. She is an absolute professional and fierce competitor, but is also fun and easy to talk to. I’ve learned a ton since I’ve been with her and am very grateful and proud to say she’s my instructor.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? I do. I have a nameplate bracelet of a horse I owned that I loved, but that was a huge challenge for me because he was so naughty. I wear it as a reminder that I can overcome anything with hard work and a little “kick butt” attitude!

Ar abian Horse Times | 56 | English • 2017

Alexa Gilbert

Instructors: Larry & Jody Hoffmann / Diane Underwood Number of years competing: 4 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? I prepare for them pretty much the same, except I memorize my pattern and my mental check list for equitation has a few more items on it.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice?

3-5 days a week during the school year and almost every day in the summer.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? Core exercises and the elliptical machine.

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? I go through a mental check list that my trainers and I put together.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? Patience.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? Yes, I wear a pendant that says, “Protect this rider and the horse she rode in on.”

Ella Hampton

Instructors: Dalton and Kellie Budd Number of years competing: 5 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? For saddle seat, I walk the pattern a few times.

Before I show, I listen to music and try and relax. For pleasure, I try to go out and focus on enjoying the ride.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? Three to four times a week.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? I work on core strength exercises. I also run and work on upper body strength.

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? I try and remind myself to do the best I can, regardless of placing. During a class, I focus on one thing at a time. I focus on the real work first, then I focus on the pattern. By breaking it up into steps, I don’t get overwhelmed.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? Kellie is always encouraging and always trying to help me feel confident. She helps me work through what I might struggle with. She doesn’t give up and finds new ways to approach a challenge. Dalton always makes sure my horse is prepared and I feel comfortable before I compete.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? Yes, I have a bracelet with my horses name on it. My friend, Kenzie, and I always wear matching necklaces when we ride.

Ar abian Horse Times | 57 | English • 2017

Jacquelyn King

Instructor: Jason Krohn

Number of years competing: 8 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? For an equitation class, I start by studying the pattern in advance and walking it in the arena. Due to the fact that my horse, JSN Manhattan, is still new to equitation, Jason will sometimes let me practice the pattern on him before we show. There are many things that go into preparing for an equitation class, but the most important aspect to remember is your mental focus. Being prepared mentally, in my opinion, is one of the biggest keys to success.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? I go to the barn 3-4 times a week.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? Stretching.

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? By reminding myself to take a deep breath and remember that I know how to handle any situation. I also listen to what my instructors are telling me and I trust my horse. Equitation is not about being perfect, it is about horsemanship.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? I have had the ability to work with several incredible instructors over the years, including Sarah Barclay, Todd Miles, Lillian Shively, Lisa Jo White, and Jason Krohn. I am very thankful for them and all they have taught me.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? “Leo” (CH-EQ Imagine My Surprise who I showed in Saddlebred equitation in 2016) is still etched onto the bottoms of my stirrups, so I feel like he is with me whenever I am competing and riding.

Isabella Perricone

Instructor: Christy Higman Clements Number of years competing: 8 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? For equitation, I practice my pattern and prepare mentally on how I want to look and ride. For pleasure, I focus on riding my horse to the best of my abilities.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? Twice a week.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? I box and spin.

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? I envision how I want to look and ride.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? Christy’s confidence in my ability to achieve what I set out to do.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? My bracelet from my former horse Fabulaire’s tail.

Ar abian Horse Times | 58 | English • 2017

Valentina Perricone

Instructor: Christy Higman Clements Number of years competing: 6 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? In equitation, I mentally plan how I want to ride the class. In pleasure, I focus on my horse and how it should look.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? Twice a week.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? Boxing and strength training.

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? I think about my ride before, and how I want to be and look.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? Christy is patient!

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? My horse, Blondie, never lets me down.

Sydney Rice

Instructors: Vicki Humphrey and Jessica Clinton Number of years competing: 5 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? I like to focus before I go into any class. I listen to music and isolate myself for a couple minutes just to get into the zone. I have a certain playlist filled with songs that get me pumped! Before equitation, I practice the pattern over and over in my head and try to visualize doing it in the actual arena.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? Since my horse is in training at Vicki’s in Georgia and I live in Colorado, I am not able to ride him as much as I would like. I usually make a trip twice a month.

However, to stay in shape and legged up, I ride Saddlebreds locally with Longview Stables.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? I wake up and go to the gym every day. I do a lot of cardio and core workouts. The best workout I do that helps with equitation is the thigh master. Riding without stirrups becomes a lot easier!

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? I used to get really nervous before equitation. I would overthink a lot and mess up because of it. I eventually taught myself to calm down by spending time thinking about everything that could go right, rather than what could go wrong. Listening to music also helps because I picked songs with empowering lyrics to go in my playlist.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? Vicki and Jess are picky, but not in a bad way. They adjusted the smallest of things in my body that made me a very balanced rider. I did not realize that such a small difference could change the way I sit in the saddle. They are so educated in equitation, that they are able to notice the minuscule things that can polish off a rider.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? Every time I compete in saddle seat equitation, I wear my ‘S’ lapel pin. I used to switch it up for every class, but I always seemed to compete better when I wore that pin. After I had a really good show and nailed my patterns, I continued to wear that pin in every equitation class!

Ar abian Horse Times | 59 | English • 2017

Elaina Roeder

Instructors: Vicki Humphrey, Jessica Clinton, Gabe DeSoto Number of years competing: 12 How do you prepare for a Saddle Seat vs. Pleasure class? For me, preparation for a saddle seat class is much more mental. I will walk through a pattern several times on my own and spend much more time alone, visualizing how my horse and I will execute each gait.

How many times a week do you go to the barn and practice? I spend approximately one week a month at our barn training and ride at least once a week at home.

What other forms of exercise do you do that assist you with your equitation skills? I strongly believe that strength and conditioning are important to an equation rider. I participate in track meets throughout the year and lift weights and run at least once a day.

Equitation can become mentally challenging; how do you prepare yourself? For equitation, I will spend time by myself visualizing each element required in the pattern. I also compete in other athletic events outside of equitation, so I am comfortable in competitive situations.

Instructors are critical; what makes yours special? Vicki, Gabe and Jess are not only incredibly gifted riders, but they know equitation and competition.

We all work hard, but we have a lot of fun. I am so fortunate to have them in my life and truly consider them family.

Do you have a good luck charm that is always with you when you compete? Every time I think I have found one, I am surprised once again.

Ar abian Horse Times | 60 | English • 2017

JACQUELYN KING JSN MANHATTAN (BASKE AFIRE X DRIVE ME CRAZY)

Scottsdale Top Ten Saddle Seat Equitation 15-18

O w n e d by : J a cq u e l y n K i n g | Ty l e r, Te x as Tr a i n e d by : OA K H AV E N A R A B I A N S | L i n d a l e, Te x as | w w w.O a k H ave n A r a b i a ns . co m Ar abian Horse Times | 61 | English • 2017

Winning

… It is not a goal, it’s a Tradition!

DALTON & KELLIE BUDD | 317.531.1326 | INFO@SELECTSHOWHORSES.COM WWW.SELECTSHOWHORSES.COM Ar abian Horse Times | 62 | English • 2017

Ar abian Horse Times | 64 | English • 2017

It’s been a wonderful ride!

IN THEIR FINAL JUNIOR COMPETITION YEAR …

Emma Kate Elgan Run Forest Run AND

SADDLE SEAT EQUITATION AND H/A SHOW HACK

LISA JO WHITE WOODSTOCK, IL 815-245-2585

Ar abian Horse Times | 65 | English • 2017

Ar abian Horse Times | 66 | English • 2017

Dream It. Live It. Ride It. dg Leading the Equitation divison at 2016 Youth Nationals.

6 National Championships in two age divisions.

Looking forward to 2017!

Christy Higman-Clements Training

305.606.0645 • www.chctrainingmiami.com

Ar abian Horse Times | 67 | English • 2017

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www.ar abianenglishperformanceassociation.com Ar abian Horse Times | 68 | English • 2017

E Q U I N E AT H L E T E I S P R O U D T O S P O N S O R T H E 2 0 1 7 A E PA $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 H A L F - A R A B I A N S A D D L E S E AT F U T U R I T Y

W W W . E Q U I N E A T H L E T E . P R O Ar abian Horse Times | 69 | English • 2017

SUPREME SENSATION SMP

MISS CENTRAL PARK

Baske Afire x RY Fire Ghazi, by El Ghazi

SUPREME SENSATION SMP (Baskghazi x A Love Supreme) National Reserve Champion Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse

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RENAISSANCE QUEEN

CATCH MY BREATH SMP (The Renaissance x Being Watched) National Reserve Champion H/A English Pleasure Futurity RENAISSANCE QUEEN (The Renaissance x Queen Afire) National Top Ten Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse

ML Afire Dream x Fire Essense, by Pro-Fire

BASKGHAZI & THE RENAISSANCE Breeders Sweepstakes Nominated • Region 12 Spotlight Stallions • Scottsdale Signature Stallions • WCAHA All Star Futurity • AEPA Enrolled Sires

Rod & Jacque Thompson For Information Call 865-816-2406

Lenoir City, TN www.SmokyMountainParkArabians.com

RW C

The undeniable choice for our industry’s top breeders ...

We bred to Unlike Any Other because of his stretch, lots of motion and extreme, beautiful head and neck. We had a special interest in him because we owned his full sister, World Champion Jr. Fine Harness Horse Futurette. The foals we have are young and are very pretty. We look forward to seeing them develop.

Marty & Tim Shea • Shea Stables We chose to breed our Arabian mare to Unlike Any Other because we saw his extreme potential as a sire. We are very pleased with our Half-Arabian filly. She is very pretty, upright and a good mover.

Rhein & Amanda Standish • Boisvert Farms Unlike Any Other is impeccably bred and is passing on to his offspring, quality, athleticism, beauty and show horse ways.

Melissa Moore • Sunrise Stables

WINE WOMEN AND SONG X MISS MORIARTY 2012 SADDLEBRED STALLION • AEPA ENROLLED SIRE PROUDLY OWNED BY EAC EQUINE LLC COLLEEN COOPER • 978-314-2347 • WWW . EACEQUINE . COM PRESENTED BY SHOWTIME TRAINING CENTER TISH KONDAS • 678-427-0595 • WWW.SHOWTIMETRAININGCENTER.NET