I started riding when I was three - my parents took me to a picnic that was at a friend's horse farm.  After that there was no turning back....I had gotten bitten by the horse bug. I competed in my first horse show when I was 6 years old.  I was on a little gray welsh pony named Missy.  I won a blue ribbon in the walk trot equitation class.  I can still remember that first horse show like it was yesterday !   I rode whatever horse or pony was available at nearby stables.  I rode whatever there was to ride .... naughty or nice as long as it was a horse it didn't matter!  By 10 years old, I was serious about competing and showing horses.  I was lucky enough to have parents that were able to lease a large pony for me to show.  "Pinky" and I worked well together.  We had wonderful show seasons with many wins at the rated shows in  PA/NJ/MD/VA.   It was such a great way to grow up !

I learned from many excellent horsewomen over the years.  My first "formal" riding lessons were from Sally Dohner and Karen Healy in Lewisberry, Pa.  I then spent most of my Junior Hunter years under the watchful eye of Ms. Janet Hanshaw-Bowen (Linglestown, Pa) as well as spending summers with  Mrs. Jane Marshall Dillon (Vienna, VA).  They were all wonderful mentors.   I went to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.  I graduated with a major in Biology and a  BA in Psychology.  I continued to ride and train horses while in college and after college.  I accepted a job in Washington DC in the late 1980's, which took me away from the horse world for nearly 10 years.  I rode sporadically while my jobs in DC and MD  took up all of my time.  I also returned to school in the 90's to get my Masters degree in Nursing.  But, nursing or working in the business world did not fill the void I missed by not being around the horses. After many years out of the horse world--  I got married and had children-- Then....the kids HAD TO HAVE A PONY !  The rest, as they say, "is history".     I am  very happy teaching  and training riders (and horses) to become a good team. Being a good rider is also knowing how to care and understand the horse you are riding.  A good rider tries to understand how to make the ride enjoyable and productive for the horse.  I try to teach what I have learned from what some of the best horse people have taught me.  Hard work, determination and never ever stop learning.

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