Young Rider Style
WITH SAMI SENFT
Story and Photos by Emily Riden
When Sami Senft first started riding in Wellington with trainer Alan Korotkin of Castlewood Farm, she was a 4-year-old who Senft jokes fell off of her pony nearly as often as she stayed on. “Alan will tell you to this day, I was the loosest child he has ever seen,” Senft smiled. “He kept saying, ‘Is she ever going to get tight? Is she ever going to stop flopping around on top of the pony?’” Today, more than 20 years later, Senft has not only come a long way from flopping around on ponies, she is dressed in the latest equestrian styles and making a name for herself in the show ring
as a rising young professional. With Korotkin’s tutelage and guidance, Senft has ridden to great success, including team gold and individual silver at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, among numerous other accomplishments. As a professional, Senft rides for Castlewood Farm, as well as running her own S&S Farm and competing her
8-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Azzaro Z. “I’m so lucky. It’s my dream to have a barn in my backyard, and Alan has made this even more possible by giving me horses, entrusting me with his horses and believing in me,” Senft said. “I’ve worked my entire life for this. It’s kind of surreal that it’s happening. I’m extremely appreciative to Alan and to my parents, as well as to my grandpa.” When it comes to clothes, Senft, like most young up-and-coming riders, needs durable breeches and shirts, suitable for riding numerous horses a day, that simultaneously look good for the show ring and don’t break the bank with their price tag. “I am not the type of person who goes out and buys $300, $400, $900 breeches. I can’t afford it; I show almost every weekend,” Senft said. “And for me, it’s not like I show up perfectly clean, get on my horse, show and go home. I show up; I ride six or seven horses on top of showing. I’m helping tack horses up; I’m setting jumps. I get really dirty. I can’t justify spending that amount of money on pants that I’m going to get dirty in, but I still want high-quality breeches. When I came across Equine Couture, I loved the material and the price.” Equine Couture, and sister brand TuffRider, are now two of Senft’s go-to brands when it comes to riding apparel, and she shared a few looks that showcase what she, and young riders like her, are wearing today.
Under her show coat, Sami Senft is wearing the Equine Couture Ladies Fiona Show Shirt, made with super breathable tech fabric, which makes it ideal for riding horses in the Florida heat and humidity.
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april 2016 | wellington the magazine
Young