2020 FE AT U R E
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OHIO EQUESTRIAN DIRECTORY 2020
Photo by Pred Milenkovich
songs that resonated with me that year were “Believer” and “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons. I chose the first song because Rio has truly made me a “Believer” in so many ways. I had been the shy kid in school who didn’t have time to hang out with my friends or play sports, because I was out with my horses. I never would have imagined that I would be capable of doing public speaking, performing in front of thousands of people, or traveling the country teaching horsemanship clinics. With this horse and all that he has taught me, all of those things have not only become possible, but are reality for me. I chose the second song, “Whatever It Takes”, because I believe it fits my philosophy perfectly. If you want to reach your goals and dreams, you have to be committed enough to make the sacrifices necessary to do “Whatever It Takes” to get to where you want to be, no matter what may get in your way. Since then, it has become a sort of motto and theme song for us. I had never been so thankful and proud of my boy, Rio, than when we were named a “Top Three Finalist” that year. That $400 investment I decided to take a chance on had certainly paid off and given back to me in so many ways. But, at eight years old, there was the question of whether Rio had given me all that he was capable of. I had been on the fence about adding a new horse to the family for a while, but after Congress of that year, it seemed like the right time to seriously begin the search for another horse to join the team. Before long, I met a 2017 palomino AQHA filly. She
was bred by Greg Gessner, of Strasburg, Ohio. Jesse Westfall had helped plan her breeding and was the one to suggest her to me. Jesse had told me that she was sensitive and a bit complicated, but very talented, and that he thought we would make a great team. So early in January of 2019, Tinseltowns Whizard joined my team. She has lived up to all of those claims. Chloe, as I call her, is sweet, sassy, and incredibly smart. While she has not been easy, she has made so much progress over this past year and shows an incredible amount of potential. She quickly started to join Rio and me at demos and performances at events, including Equine Affaire, Horse World Expo, and the New Jersey State Fair. These are not easy environments for such a young and inexperienced horse, but she has so much “heart” and “try” that she handled it well. So well, in fact, that in October she made her debut of her first entered competition at the inaugural International Liberty Horse Association Championships in Lexington, Kentucky. As I
was preparing Chloe for her own freestyle performances, I began the search for music and a theme that fit her. When I came across the song, “Born For This,” by The Score, it instantly resonated with me because I believed my own journey really paralleled the lyrics. It speaks of dealing with the criticism of others, as well as internal doubts and fears, and learning to cut through all of that noise to write your own story. It’s also about encouraging others to know they aren’t alone as they struggle and learn through their own mistakes. As Chloe and I write our story together, she is quickly showing me that she was “born for this” as she continues to grow and excel. It became her theme song, and she is certainly proving it to be true everyday! One of the goals that I had when I brought her home was to challenge myself at a whole new level, not only giving her a solid foundation of liberty work on the ground, but also to start riding her at liberty, without the use of any tack - completely bareback and
bridleless from the beginning. I have nothing against the use of tack, I just wanted to test the limits of what was possible when dedicating the time to develop a solid foundation of liberty work and body control on the ground first, and transferring that to riding, before transitioning to a bridle and saddle. I believed that it could really help with her education as a riding partner, but when I started riding her at the end of October, she completely surpassed my expectations. As a result of the previous ten months of dedicated liberty work, the amount of confidence, relaxation, understanding, balance, and strength that she so beautifully carried herself with, was an amazing experience to witness and be a part of. I believe having such an introduction to this new phase of her life will really propel, not just our partnership but also her future career in reining, ranch versatility, western dressage, and anything else we may decide to do together. Regardless of what her future holds, I’m so thankful for everything this beautiful girl has already taught me. Recently, I have started teaming Chloe up with Rio, doing liberty work with them together, and they are showing a lot of potential as a team. I’m really looking forward to having them both join me together in future performances! The three of us currently travel the country together, performing and teaching at expos and other special events. I also offer clinics and lessons, as well as online education, including an online training video library and virtual lessons. My goal is not just to inspire others, but