Horses have always been a hug part of my life. I have worked with them in some capacity since I was 6 years of age. I grew up in the Chicago suburb of Naperville and rode at severa stables in the area, mainly Plantation Equestrian Center and Fox Meadows. In my High School years I exercise rode for Naperville Polo Club. After graduating from HS at 16 and moving to NM I worked at El Cid Cutting Horses, in Farwell TX. This is my only western experience but it was at a state of the art facility and I grew a lot from my summer spent managing the yearling barn and turn back riding. I spent the next two years riding for local barns in NM/TX/ and back home in Naperville. I picked up some dressage basics but stuck strong to my Hunter/Jumper roots. After moving to Utah at 19 I bought a 2 yr old unbroke chestnut appendix mare, Annie. I trained her and sold her after getting married and moving accross the country. I bought my next horse Dexter when we moved to Florida. I bought him with 45 days on him and worked him up as well. In FL while managinf a hunter barn I was given the best birthday gift to date, my best friend; Leonessa. Leonessa is a now 16 yr old Dutch mare by the grand prix Dressage stallion Wilhelm and out of a Secretariat bred half TB mare. She is my best friend and partner. We moved back to NC with Dex and Leonessa in 2007. I Began managing a local "eventing" barn. At this "eventing barn" I beat the trainer at my and my Leonessas first event and second time cross country to pace with a dressage score of 32 2nd. The trainer placed past 9th out of 13 on a made event horse. I quickly realised she had no idea what she was doing but the situation was a good one so far as everything but training went. I was offered a nice young TB mare by a boarder there who was terrified of the horse. I tacked her up to try her, never having seen her go in my 5 months managing the farm. Long story short she was a rearer and despite every attempt to get her forawrd 20 minutes into our ride she flipped backwards ontop of me breaking my L1-L4. I quite working due to my inability to continue due to my injuries. I moved my horses to my girlfriends place and we built a barn, yes, built one, lol. Calleen and I have our own 6 stall barn with zero drama and no crazy boarders, just our horses. In the year since leaving the other barn I have sold my young TB Dexter and bought a lovely Hanoverian mare who is now starting under saddle. She was in foal when I bought her and the filly is now almost 6 months old! Gratulantin is a 17 hand big German girl, much like myself, lol. Her filly, now named Ella, is exceptional and promises quite the talent. I had intended on keeping her but after watching her since the first second of her little life I can not imagine a life without her in it. She is already over 14 hands tall and the vet thinks she will surpass her mother in height! So far as my riding goes post accident I don't think I will ever have a nice flat back over fences again, nor will downward transitions ever be free of pain but I love every minute I am in the saddle as I always have. My husband, a Staff Sergeant with the USMC who is an EOD tech, will be deploying to Afghanistan in less than two months, this has put riding on the backburner for now. I plan to kick off the fall with lots of lessons out in Southern Pines, and some in IL as well. I think thati s a pretty complete history of my equine experience, lol.

How many horses do you own?:	3
Do you ride English or Western?:	English