Northwest Autumn Classic 2020

This show is not only special because it hosts the Maclay Regionals, but also because it is the first show that I officially own Wesley! I was so excited coming into this show, excited for Maclay Regionals and excited to be back at Meadow Wood. Warm-up days went well doing the 1.10s and the much anticipated Regional class was coming closer and closer. On Friday, Wesley and I won both of the equitation classes, which was a big confidence boost for the weekend. Also on Friday, the smoke from the wildfires started coming in which was concerning with the air quality getting worse for Saturday. My horse always comes first and if I ever felt like his health was being compromised then I would scratch without hesitation.

Saturday morning was filled with damp air and fog, we would have to wait for the fog the lift before being able to truly assess the air quality. Through the entire day Wesley was in his tent stall with a fan over him and access to water at all times. His breathing was never abnormal, he never coughed or sneezed and his nose never ran with any discharge. We continued to monitor the air throughout the day and when the time of the class came we felt that the horses were comfortable and healthy. We did a short warm-up and went into the Special Equitation class before the regional with confidence. Wesley felt amazing and we won the class, another great confidence boost. Another quick and easy warm-up and we went into the regional class. The course really complimented my horse. There were three left rollbacks which are a strong point for my horse and only on bending line off the right lead, our weak point. I went third so I was able to watch two rounds before mine to see how everything rode and I felt like it gave me an advantage because I was able to watch a couple rounds to watch the course but not watch too many to get nervous.

We went in for our round and it started with a left lead rollback, we nailed it and then came the one right lead bending line which was what I was most worried about. I structured the bending line into two parts, five strides each and it ended up working out beautifully. After nailing the bending line I was confident and the rest of the round came up in stride. I was thrilled with the round and ready for the flat phase. The flat came around and I could feel Wesley getting jazzed and he was a bit more up in the flat than in the class itself. He was strong through the class but it was manageable and I was able to hide it well. We lined up after the flat and they announced no further testing. This was nerve-wracking since then they go right into announcing the results. Going from last place to first, riders got excused one by one until it was only Wesley and I standing in the center. I was thrilled, what a great way to end the regular season! I can’t thank my trainers John Turner, Quinn Partridge, and Gillian Baird for all they have done this year to help us get to this point. Another special shout out to barn-mate Emily Steckler for placing third in the regional!

Looking ahead to the future, I don’t plan on going back East for Medal Finals since it is a weird year with COVID and we can only afford to go back East one year. Fingers crossed for next year! After this show and this class, Wesley will have some time off due to the poor air quality and will resume slowly coming back to work once the air clears. Hoping everyone stays healthy during these times, horse and human. Thank you to my mom for making this show possible and for everyone who has helped me along the way! Can’t wait to see what the future has to hold!

Welcome to the Family, Wesley!

Photograph by Zoe Macbeth

SO excited about this announcement! My parents have been gracious to take the next step and purchase Wesley!! I am so grateful for this opportunity to own such a talented young horse and I am so excited to continue to learn and grow with him. Additionally, we changed his name from “Edesa’s Wesley” to “Wesley’s Theory,” sticking with the Wesley name. Huge thank you to Krystalle Glosser, Tanya Loverchick, Quinn Partridge, and John Turner for making this sale possible and for connecting us with Wesley.

Can’t wait to see what’s to come!!!

Northwest Spectacular 2020

Week 2 here we come! Fresh out of a successful first week, I was feeling confident and excited for the second week of Wilsonville. We started the week off as usual, in the 1.10 jumpers for warm-up. We played around with adding and subtracting strides in lines and taking more inside turns, it was a lot of fun and got me excited for the weekend. The weekend came and we were schooling Wesley differently than the week before, trying different methods to help him keep his legs up over the jumps and not hit the rails. The main method we used was for me to lean up his neck so he would have to really pick up his legs to lift my weight over the jump. This method worked really well and Wesley was being very careful. When we went into the ring, Wesley was really thinking about our school and was more backed off than I was used to. This caused my eye to be a little off and it really showed in the first class. Distances that were usually right on were showing up too long or too short and overall the picture was off. The next day we addressed this and found a happy medium with how we schooled. Saturday went much better and we got back into our groove. I learned that changes in how we school are great and beneficial, but too drastic changes at the last minute can hinder us more than help up.

The rest of the weekend went well besides one spook from Wesley on Sunday. He takes care of me so much and has been so good that it’s unreasonable to be upset about one spook over the course of the past four shows. Once again, I was lucky enough to work for Casey Sorita and Ross Alexander with Therapy Corner Store. Special thanks to them for continuing to let me work and learn from them to make my horse feel better. Thank you of course to my trainers Quinn Partridge, John Turner, and Gillian Baird for making this week successful and to my dad for making this week possible! Now one week at home and then back to Meadow Wood!

Oregon Summer Classic 2020

Photography Courtesy of Zoe Macbeth

Back on the road again, this time to Wilsonville, Oregon for the Oregon Summer Classic. This horse show was a lot of fun, Wesley and I had found our groove and each class was better than the last. The schedule for the week was typical, we did the 1.10s on Wednesday and Thursday to warm up and he felt amazing, I’m starting to notice that when our 1.10s go well at the beginning of the week then it sets us up for success on the weekend. The weekend rolled around and we started the equitation with the Dover medal, it went very well for us and we tested back first. Next came the worst part of the weekend, which wasn’t that bad, the test of the Dover. I was confident, testing back first I only needed to complete the test and answer the questions given within it. The first jump was a single vertical, I wanted to be brilliant to it and meet it with some pace. I picked up my canter and was never happy with my canter so I kept accelerating, causing me to chip the hell out of the first jump. The rest of the test was great but that chip caused us to move down to fourth. I should have stayed conservative and played it safe to stay in first place.

After that class and the chip of the decade, the rest of the weekend went really well, we won all but one of our medals and had some of our best rounds yet. My proudest moment was the WIHS Jumper Phase where we completed the medal with no faults and a score of 85! I was super happy with how Wesley was going this week and proud of myself for how I was riding. Adrienne Berg also brought her green pony, Gayfield’s Smooth Criminal, to the show for me to show in the low 2’3” classes and she had some of her most consistent rounds yet at her second horse show ever. Thank you, Adrienne, for the opportunity to show such a talented pony!

In addition to showing, I was able to work for Casey Sorita of Therapy Corner Store once again after starting working for them in Sonoma. I really enjoyed finishing my evenings working with her and being with the horses when the showgrounds were quiet and everyone had gone home. Additionally, I learned more about equine bodywork and how to make my horse feel his best. Once again, thank you Casey Sorita and Ross Alexander of Therapy Corner Store for allowing me to work with you for the week! Thank you also to my trainers Quinn Partridge, John Turner, and Gillian Baird for making this week successful and to my dad for making it possible! Excited for next week!

Evergreen Classic 2020

Woohoo! Back to the comfort of our own home in Washington! I was really excited for this show. I haven’t been to this venue since I rode ponies. I have only had good memories of these grounds, from having good rounds to playing in the river with my friends. Since this show was so close to home, the pressure was off and after the mental fiasco of Sonoma, it was really nice to ride in a local, more low-pressure horse show. I was interested to see if I would ride better given that I wasn’t as nervous here, my guess was that I would.

The 1.10s at the beginning of the week went well, only one rail on each day so I was happy. My horse was going beautifully and I was confident in how I was riding. Since this show was smaller, all the equitation was on Saturday. Only three medals, the USEF Medal, the Maclay, and the WSHJA Good Hands and Seat 3’6”. The first class was the WSHJA and It went very well, I felt like I was riding the best I’ve ridden. After the WSHJA, the Maclay was next and after completing that course I had to run over to Hunter 2 where I was showing a green pony for Adrienne Berg, talk about height change! Adrienne’s Pony, Stella, was good and after finishing up with her I went back on over to Hunter 1 to flat the Maclay. During the Maclay flat, the judge asked for the extended trot. Being the overachiever I try to be, I asked Wesley for a big extended trot which he did beautifully. However, going down the long side I heard the sound of metal on metal, I thought nothing of it, assuming he just clipped his front shoe with his hind leg. Going around the ring again back to that spot where I heard the metal I saw a nice shiny horse shoe laying in the dirt. Definitely ours. We lined up from the flat and we won the Maclay, being the first ones out of the ring and sure enough, missing a shoe. The farrier wasted no time coming to the ring and tacking our shoe on for us before we went in for the USEF Medal.

The rest of the day went great, I had rounds that I am very proud of and my horse was amazing. I was also very happy with Adrienne Berg’s pony since it was her very first horse show and she took it all in stride. I’d like to offer a huge thank you to Adrienne for the opportunity of riding and helping develop such a talented pony! Of course, thank you to Quinn Partridge, John Turner, and my dad for making this week possible. Now we are home for a couple of weeks before hitting the road for Wilsonville!

HMI Equestrian Classic 2020

In all honesty, I didn’t want to write about this show riding-wise. I don’t know if it was nerves or I got into my head but this show didn’t go very well for me. We started in the jumper ring, doing the 1.10 classes to get into the ring before the weekend. In our first class, we had four rails, 16 faults. I kept making the wrong decisions to the jump and asking my horse to take off in places where he should never have to take off from. Of course, my horse was more than amazing and saved me more times than I can count which I couldn’t ask for more from him. Anyway, the next day in the jumper ring it went a little better, we only had two rails as opposed to four the day before. Nonetheless, that’s two more rails than I would like to have. The WIHS Jumper Phase was on Friday, which was set 1.10 in the jumper ring and boy was I nervous about keeping the jumps up. We did the 1.10 class before the equitation class and we had two rails, great... Going into the class, I wasn’t expecting to go clear given our history at this show. Somehow, the stars aligned and we went clear, it was our best round of the show so far.

Even though we had just had one of our best rounds of the show, I was still having anxiety about keeping the rails up and making the right decisions. I was getting jumped loose over the jumps a bit in the 1.10 so I shortened my stirrups and that was a game-changer. Oh man, I felt like I was in a whole new world, I could stay with my horse easily and stay with the motion of the horse so much better. With shortening my stirrups and working one-on-one with my trainer, my confidence was slowly coming back. My rounds were getting better and better and from my first round on Wednesday to my last found on Sunday, there was a huge difference not only in my mindset but also in my riding. This has been one of the hardest horse shows for me mentally and I feel like it showed me a part of the psychological aspect of riding that I haven’t had to face yet.

On a note unrelated to showing, I got the privilege of working for Casey Sorita and Ross Alexander of Therapy Corner Store. For those that are unfamiliar, Therapy Corner Store is an equine therapy company that works to make our horses feel their best with therapies such as Equitape, Multiradiance Laser, Bemer, Aromatherapy, and Deep Muscle Stimulator just to name a few. I worked for them throughout the week after I was done riding and learned valuable information about the work they do. I was able to do basic tape patterns with the Equitape and learned about the releases and what those releases mean. I look forward to working more with them in the future and learning more about how I can make my horse feel better.

Once again, a big thank you to Casey Sorita of Therapy Corner Store for the opportunity to work with her. Of course, thank you to my trainers John Turner and Quinn Partridge and my mom for making this week possible. Now back home to Evergreen!

Gladstone Cup 2020

After a long hiatus from showing due to COVID-19, what better way to jump into horse shows than my first equitation final? All jokes aside, I was ecstatic to be able to compete in the Gladstone Cup this year and get my first equitation final under my belt. I was lucky to be able to continue riding through quarantine since I am an employee of Thumbs Up Farm so I felt fit and more than ready to get back in the ring. No doubt I was nervous about this show, I hadn’t shown in eight months, and this would be only my second time showing in California.

Nerves aside, I drove down to Sonoma with my mom on Wednesday to find our horses stabled in a quiet, shady corner of the showgrounds, perfect for the mid-day heat. I was intimidated at first by the size of the grounds but after the first few days of exploring, I became more comfortable and relaxed. This show was different than most not only because of the COVID protocol but also that there were only four horses so we were all able to get quality one-on-one time with our trainer. The warm-up days came and went and I did the two warm-up classes with Wesley to get into the Grand Prix ring before the Gladstone. Initially, I was worried about how spooky the jumps were and Wesley may hesitate at them but he proved me very wrong by confidently jumping everything without batting an eye. Him being so good and so ride-able gave me a boost of confidence going into the class on Friday.

Friday came, the big day of the class and I went middle of the order for the Gladstone, perfect. I was able to watch a handful of rounds and see how the course rode before getting on. I liked the course a lot, it was more of a hunter style course since this was a hunt-seat medal so there was nothing too tricky which I appreciate. I got on and could feel the nerves creeping in but I knew I had nothing to worry about, my horse was schooled and I was prepared for this class. We warmed up well, we didn’t need too many jumps before feeling ready to head in to the ring so off to the gate we went. At this point I was really feeling the nerves, I don’t know what it was, I am typically a confident rider but the combination of it being our first show back and an equitation final in California was getting to me.

We walked into the class and picked up our canter to the first jump, single oxer off the right lead, a weak spot for us. We found the jump well and continued the course, finding all of the jumps relatively well. I came out of the round relieved and happy with my round, my horse was awesome and I felt like I rode well. We made it into the handy round! The course for the handy round was a lot of fun and we walked in confidently, I was less nervous than before. The course went well, I was short out of one line, causing me to be long out of the next line but other than that I was happy. We didn’t get a ribbon but I was thrilled with how it went, Wesley was phenomenal and I couldn’t have asked better from him. We finished the weekend by doing the junior hunters since it was open to anyone this year. We had a whole lot of fun in Sonoma this weekend and I’m excited for the next week of showing!

Also a BIG shout out to barn-mate Emily Steckler! She was Overall Grand 3’3” Junior Hunter Champion and Older 3’3” Junior Hunter Champion with her mare Wonderland!! SO thrilled for you Emily! Thank you to everyone who made this weekend happen including Quinn Partridge, Efrain Gandara, John Turner, and my mom! Can’t wait for what’s to come!

2019 in Review

As this year comes to a close, I’d like to reflect on the past 12 months and all the ups, downs, blood, sweat, and tears within it.

First and foremost, this has been a year full of “firsts.” As my first year training with and working for Thumbs Up farm, my first year in the 3’6” equitation, a goal I’ve had for a long time, and my first year showing in California, this year brought many new obstacles and opportunities that made it one to remember.

It started out on a high note, leasing Danner out to barn mate Zoe Macbeth and leasing Edesa’s Wesley from Edesa’s Promotions. I cannot thank Thumbs Up Farm enough for finding such a young, willing, and talented horse for me to grow with this season, he is truly more than I could ever ask for and I never could have imagined how far he would end up taking me in only our first six months together.

As the season started rolling and I got out of school, I began full-time working at Thumbs Up Farm as a working student since I no longer had to be in school all day. It took some getting used to their program and I made honest mistakes, learned from them, and now I feel very confident as a full-time working student of Thumbs Up Farm, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work off a portion of the endless stream of horse bills. Furthermore, I was lucky enough to receive opportunities to spend more time in the saddle due to Thumbs Up Farm and I appreciate the dedication they showed me this year to improve my riding.

I’d also like to acknowledge and welcome all the new clients who have joined the Thumbs Up Farm team this year. We are lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive group of juniors and amateurs that all contribute to one of the best barn client atmospheres I’ve ever experienced, and how lucky am I to get to ride at this barn??

Also, a HUGE shout out to the amateurs at Thumbs Up Farm for being the most supportive group of women a girl can ask for, you know who you are, thank you for being so amazing this year and supporting all of us juniors, we appreciate it more than you know.

This year, I also began working with Adrienne Berg’s pony project, Stella. I’m excited to possibly debut her in the Green Pony division of 2020, she really is something special. Thank you for the opportunity, Adrienne!!!

Highlights of this year include earning second place at Maclay Regionals, taking my first win in a medal, qualifying for the Hunterdon Cup 2020, and participating in the Bernie Traurig clinic.

Thank you to those who made this year’s success possible, including but not limited to my parents, Quinn Partridge, John Turner, Keri Bailey, Jessica Friedman, Casey Sorita, Adrienne Berg, KC Cordell, the Macbeth family, the Steckler family, Efrain Gandara, and Liz Smith.

This year brought more than I could have ever imagined and I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store!! Thank you mom and dad for allowing me to take this crazy journey and supporting me all the way through.

Happy New Year!!!!

Sunshine Series I and II

Photography courtesy of Shanna Waite

Goodbye beginning of Washington winter, hello California!!!

Woohoo! Not only did I get lucky enough to escape Washington when the clouds started rolling in, but I also got my school work done, which allowed me to skip ten days to attend both weeks of the Sunshine Series. Located in Thermal, California, at the Desert International Horse Park, it was the perfect dose of sun before the cold winter. I also got the opportunity to work for Thumbs Up Farm throughout both weeks to help my parents with those never-ending expenses!

During this horse show, the Maclay Finals were going on during the first week. We chose to not go to the Finals this year because of expenses, and since Wesley and I are both green. We want to save our trips for the next couple of years when we're both more seasoned. I also feel like two weeks of consistent showing was more beneficial for us than a few classes at the National Horse Show would have been, for three times the cost.

Since it was the first time I’ve ever shown in California, I was excited to see where I would stand in the pool of California riders. Considering it’s more competitive down in California than in the Northwest.

The elevated level of competition almost “forced” me to step up and ride my best. It was insightful to watch many talented riders in person and see what qualities made their rounds go well. Additionally, what made their rounds not go as well. Watching all of these quality riders also made me want it more, want to be as good as them, better than them even. I would make a mental list of the qualities of these riders that I thought were beautiful and use this list as homework to do when we got home. Nothing like some motivation to get us through winter training!

I was surprised with how Wesley and I placed during these two weeks, we even won the WIHS overall the first week, qualifying us for the Hunterdon Cup next year! That would be super cool to attend for the first time next year if all is willing!

I hope to come back to California soon to show! I want to thank my dad, Casey Sorita, and my trainer’s Quinn Partridge and John Turner, for making these two weeks possible!

Maclay Regionals

Wow! Where to start. Since this was my first Maclay regionals and both Wesley and I being in the big equitation for only five months, I didn’t expect to place very high, if at all, in the regionals. We’d been relatively consistent during the first days of showing, having minor errors here and there but no major standout mistakes. Being consistent and having no expectations helped me with my nerves going into Saturday, the day of the regional class. I haven’t been a nervous rider in the past, but the conditions of this class got to me a little bit. It also helped that I was doing the class with my friend and barn mate, Emily Steckler. She has done the equitation for a while, and her level headed attitude helped me to stay calm.

Emily and I walked the course with Quinn and John: right lead to the triple bar, bending 7, single oxer, two-step, bending 9 to an end jump, roll back to another end jump, rollback to the Swedish oxer, another rollback to another end fence, then finally a bending gallop to the final oxer.

I went second in the order, a position I was okay with since when I watch more riders, I tend to overthink the course, but I still have one person to watch before me. Our first round went well; we had a couple rubs at the end jumps, but other than that, I was pleased with how Wesley went and with how I rode. What made the round even better was the cheers from the Thumbs Up Farm ladies that came to support! With that, I still figured I wouldn’t be in the running for a top placing considering the quality of riders that were going after me.

Emily went two rounds after me, so I stuck around to watch her before taking Wesley back to the barn. She had a beautiful round, so everyone was happy. We took our horses back to the barn to wait for the flat phase and went back to watch the rest of the class.

Not too long after, it was time to get back on for the flat phase, our least favorite part. Jessica, one of the trainers at Thumbs Up and our main flat position trainer came to watch us in the flat phase, so the pressure’s on! I wanted to give it my all in this class, and that is what I did. I don’t think my thighs, back, and core have ever hurt so bad in a class! We flatted well, and everyone was getting anxious to hear the results as we exited from the ring.

I was halfway out of the loading paddock when I heard “further testing for riders,” and four numbers were announced. I didn’t know my number, and I didn’t think I was called in the top four, but then I heard “Heather! Grace! Ellie! Clara!” I didn’t have time to think, I got right back on and went to jump a warm-up jump.

The test: Walk-in, canter directly to 2 (End jump), rollback to a single oxer, two-step, halt, canter six and hand-gallop 10.

I tested second, the same position I was in for the first round, it was comfortable for me. I watched Grace go, and then it was my turn. Step in, left lead canter, breath. First end jump, got there nicely, look for the single oxer, stretch! It was a little long, and Wesley hit the back rail with his front legs, but it stays up. Two-step, we found the first jump in a little deep, but he covers well out of it. Our halt was the weakest part of our round, we pushed right and didn’t halt for long enough, my mind was going so fast I didn’t think to take a breath and chill for our halt. I knew I had to stand out in the test, after jumping 6 was the hand gallop jump, and I knew that was our place to show off if we could, be brilliant. So right after 6, we picked it up, and the distance was long, but we went for it, and it worked out just right for us. My heart was beating so fast as I walked out of the arena. I was so proud of Wesley for taking care of me and being the best I could ask for in both of our first regionals.

Then, I was standing in the paddock, watching the other two tests, and it hit me. Wesley and I made the test. We made the test! Both of us being unproven in the equitation ring, we worked so hard ever since he came to us in March, and it’s an indescribable feeling watching it all pay off. And then it all began, I started crying because of being so proud of my horse and myself. The amount of gratitude I feel for my trainers, parents, and supporters was so overwhelming. Jessica came over to talk to me, and I was crying and barely paying attention to what was happening in the test.

All of a sudden, “2nd place, Ellie Kurtz” come out of Mary’s radio, and I couldn’t contain myself. Never in my life have I been so proud of my horse and so gracious for everyone around me. Of course, the whole Thumbs Up Farm crew being there and supporting Emily and I just tipped me over the edge. I couldn’t be more grateful for the amount of support I’ve been lucky enough to receive, even in small acts such as coming to regionals to watch. So to all the amateurs, other juniors, and parents at Thumbs Up Farm and beyond, thank you. It means more than you will ever know. I still can’t believe it; this is how we start in our first five months. I can’t wait to see what else is to come.

The biggest thank you’s to my parents, Laura Peterson and Mark Kurtz, as well as my current trainers, John Turner, Quinn Partridge, Keri Bailey, and Jessica Friedman. Another thank you to my past trainers, who I wouldn’t be here without Ruel Johnson and Tara Devlin Johnson. I'd also like to give a huge congrats to the winner, Clara Mcdanniel! And a big congrats to Emily Steckler on her 6th place finish!

Photography Courtesy of Laura Peterson and Katrina J

Spring National Inaugural Hunter Jumper 2019

What a way to hit the ground running! A week after Wesley arrived in Redmond, we took him to the Spring National Inaugural Show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. Initially, we were a little worried about how he would act at these showgrounds, given that the indoor ring is spooky. With echos, the racetrack behind the building often has loud cars on it during the day, and the occasional small plane will fly by the grounds to the nearby landing strip. Despite these distractions, Wesley took it all in stride and acted like he’d been showing in the arena his whole life. My trainer showed him in the 3’6” hunters and 1.10 jumpers at the beginning of the show, and when I arrived at the show on Thursday, we did a 3 foot low round to get into the ring. When Friday rolled around, and we had our age group equitation division in the morning. I was super excited to see how we fit together in the show ring. With the age group being only 3 feet, it was very welcoming and less stressful to do so. Wesley could not have been better for our morning classes, which we had top placings in, and I figured we were done for the day until my trainer told me that she entered us for the Dover medal later that day. My first 3’6” medal! Of course, I was excited but also incredibly nervous as we hadn’t jumped very big at home before the show and I had never been able to show in a 3’6” class before. Nerves set in, Wesley took care of me through our first medal and then throughout the rest of them throughout the weekend.

I did not expect to show at the 3’6” level so quickly, but I’m glad my trainer believed in me and allowed me to make mistakes that I took home to improve upon. This show I learned that I need to do much more no stirrup work and other strength exercises to build my strength as the jumps go up as I got jumped loose a couple times over some of the oxers. To make this show possible, I’d like to thank Quinn Partridge, Jessica Friedman, and my mom for an enjoyable week with my new horse!

Side note: I also got to catch up with my old barn, Blue Heron Farm, and their new trainer (welcome to the Northwest!) Ashley Williams! Very lovely to see them and their girls showing and great job to all of them as well over the weekend!

The Country Classic 2018

After being with the Thumbs Up Farm team for merely a week, showing with them came up quick and was a smooth transition. This show was my first time down at the showgrounds in Wilsonville, and I was impressed by the layout of the grounds. We competed once again in the 3'3" junior and the medals under 3'6". This show was particularly fun since Danner came from a barn not too far from the show grounds, so I enjoyed talking to Danner's past owners and finding more about his history.

We started in the age group equitation, and we put in consistent rounds and even won the flat. We later won the THIS medal as well as a 1.0 jumper round. Our junior hunters went well over the weekend, and Danner won the Handy. This show was enjoyable, and a very smooth transition into the Thumbs Up team, and I'm excited for what's to come. I want to thank my parents, Quinn Partridge, and the rest of the Thumbs Up Farm team for welcoming me with open arms.

The Move from Blue Heron Farm to Thumbs Up Farm

I want to start this post off by thanking Ruel Johnson for treating me so well the past eight years at Blue Heron Farm and for making me the rider I am today. I am forever grateful for BHF in how they developed me as a young rider and bringing out my work ethic. After eight good years, I am ready to take my riding career to the next level and have decided to move Danner to Thumbs Up Farm out of Redmond, Washington, with trainers John Turner, Keri Bailey, Quinn Partridge, and Jack Hammond. I am super excited to see where they will take me and how my education will deepen. This move could not have happened without the support of my parents and the encouragement of Blue Heron Farm. I am excited for this next chapter in my career.