My earliest memory is from when I was about 2 years old.  I was at a horse show, watching my mom ride. I believe around this time was when I knew I had to ride. When I was 6 I began taking formal lessons and showing in the lead-line and shortest stirrup divisions. I loved riding and showing. I needed it; I craved it.

Throughout the following years I continued to show my pony up through the ranks in Pony Medal and Large Children’s Pony at the rated and local competitions. I also rode and showed anything else I could get my hands on. I loved helping to train, show and sell ponies…until it was my own. When the day came for me to sell my own prized pony at the age of 14, I began to train my then sister’s horse, a 10 year old, 16.3h thoroughbred gelding.

I trained with some good and some bad trainers, and had many good and bad experiences through the many years that I competed him.  We showed through the local and rated Junior’s, Equitation, the Adults, the level 4 jumpers, and did some dressage and eventing as well.

While training him, I continued to ride and show everything possible. I also worked as a working student to several trainers, rode some very nice horses, did some very crazy tasks, and in the end learned quite a bit from each one.

When I was about 18 I got a job at a big up-and-coming show barn. I showed in quite a few big shows, rode a variety of horses (from Champion Hunter and Jumper Stallions to Gorgeous 3 year old dressage Warm bloods, and of course some sweet horses who clearly had a screw loose), and learned so much about barn/show/injury management. By the end of a year and a half, I had a whole lot of experience taking students and horses from scratch to winning, and quite a bit in other areas of show barn management that I’d never dreamed of having. I learned quite a bit also from a series of terrible events that occurred while I was there, and so I moved on.

I then spent a hard (but great!) summer doing some more barn management and showing jumpers on several nice horses at another barn. After that, I decided to begin my own company…with ponies. Throughout all these years, all the places I’ve been to, I was always the go-to girl for the ponies. I guess I never really stopped riding them, and all of my experience in the other disciplines just helps!

Crown Jewel Stables at Flowing Springs Farm: Today I am living my dream of running my show/lesson program, Crown Jewel Stables. We operate out of my (unbelievably supportive/horse-loving) family’s farm, Flowing Springs Farm. I offer boarding for my students with horses or ponies, though I do travel to some of my students, or they ship in to me. We will always have superior hunter ponies for sale in our Crown Jewel Ponies branch. We have handpicked, beautifully bred ponies out of Maranatha Meadows. I train the ponies, and have one or two of my top students show them. My ponies are beautiful, sound, safe and athletic members of our team. Ridden only by myself on a daily basis, when my juniors get on, they are push-button.  I take my ponies and my students to shows almost every weekend, rated and local. I continue to ride and train horses in addition to my ponies, and believe in incorporating a strong dressage foundation initially. My students (child and adult alike) have won numerous championships in hunters, jumpers and equitation, but I focus mainly on good sportsmanship and personal goals. I hope for my program to grow to more horses/ponies, more students, and bigger shows.  I myself show horses for their owners mainly in hunters, but have done some jumpers with them as well.  Though for now I am not actively competing, watching my ponies and students reach their goals is the most amazing experience, and that is enough!

Bridget tuning up a student's horse