! Amistad By Erica Larson
of the most well-known horses in his and Michele’s home country of Canada, and possibly in the entire sport of three-day eventing. As Michele predicted, Amistad did go all the way. In
H
April, the pair placed tenth at the Rolex Kentucky Three- Day Event out of the event’s largest field to date. But he nearly didn’t make it to Kentucky. In 2009 he sustained an injury that would have gone undetected had it not been for Michele’s watchful eye and incredible relationship with her equine partner.
MICHELE’S
JOURNEY Like most of today’s notable riders, Michele grew up in the saddle. “I got my horsey genes from my mom,” she smiles. “I started riding when I was seven years old when I received my first horse, a year and a half old stud colt, as a Christmas present from my parents.” With her mother’s help,
Michele learned the basics of horsemanship and had a blast while doing so. Although Michele is an accomplished three-day eventer today, her mother encouraged her to begin her career in dressage, the discipline that is often credited with being the basis of most other styles of riding. “Over the years my mom had me take dressage lessons,
which was my focus at that time,” Michele explains. “But as I grew into my teens and even beyond that, I wanted to jump and was mostly self-taught.” Michele’s early focus in dressage allowed her the balance and understanding necessary to teach herself how to pop
20 July/August 2010
e was a student’s horse that Michelle Mueller happened upon when his owner went off to college. Now, Amistad, a stunning chestnut Belgian-Thoroughbred cross gelding, is one
“When I took Amistad on, I had no idea of how far he could go. We just kept moving up the levels each time I thought he was ready. Once we reached the three-star level and were short listed, I knew he could go all the way.”
over a few fences safely. She continued in her dressage and her jumping for fun until the jumping “bug” took over and she enrolled in lessons at an eventing barn. “It wasn’t until my mid thirties that I started taking jump lessons,” Michele says. “I then entered my first event at the Training level and placed sixth. I was hooked from then on!” In addition to being a student herself, one of Michele’s passions is teaching others to ride. She is a certified instructor with the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association and her Cedar Valley Stables, located in Port Perry, Ontario, housed the Durham Therapeutic Riding Association, an affiliate of the Canadian Therapeutic Riding
Association, for nine years. Additionally, Michele teaches able-bodied riders, which is
how she met her current partner, Amistad. THE YOUNG AMISTAD Julie Pring purchased a cheeky chestnut gelding
in 1999 from an upscale breeding farm. His mother, Sleigh Bells, was a nurse mare there and just two weeks after he was foaled, Amistad’s mother was needed to nurse a “more important foal,” as Michele puts it. Julie brought Amistad home to her family’s Stonehaven
Farm in September and began his initial training. Michele credits Julie for giving Amistad the basics that made him such a quick study later in life. Julie and Amistad enjoyed several successful years together, but in 2004, she was
Above , left and right, Amistad and Michelle at Rolex Kentucky (photos courtesy of Erin Hazen).
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