grow and made every effort to see it through by taking her for pony rides on weekends. Then when she was 13 they bought her a horse. “I did hunters then and later did dressage. I can relate to Laine’s passion at her age.” “I see that same support with Laine’s
mom, Carey,” continues Michelle, who now awaits the birth of her first grandchild. “That is so important. Carey is devoted to her daughter and goes everywhere with Laine. They always text me to keep me updated with Unique. I could be in the Middle East and I’ll get a text message from Carey and Laine.” As for Carey’s husband, Tim, she says
he worries about the demands riding and showing places on their family, but he’s “coming around.” “He’s starting to come to shows and ask how it’s going. I know this is an expensive sport,” says Carey. “But I see how happy Laine is when she rides. I think it’s our job to support that. This is her passion and we need to be behind it in every way.” Carey says she’s never had to worry about Laine’s school work. “She’s good about that,” she says. Laine, an only child, is a high honors student at CMS Middle School in Stratham, New Hampshire. She says her daughter has played other sports--soccer, golf and tennis—but was hooked on riding after taking a lesson six years ago.
RIDING HURDLES Today there’s a grace and confidence in the way Laine rides Unique that Carey says has almost magically surfaced within the last year. When she rode Indy, he was already trained and pretty much a push-button horse. Unique is anything but push button. “Laine has had to learn a lot of new things,” says Merri. One of those things has been how to ride an alpha mare who sometimes would rather dictate the ride to the rider instead of the other way around. “Not everyone has the ability to ride
Unique,” says Michelle, “because the mare can be a bit on the hot side so I feel fortunate to have found Laine. She is a soft, quiet rider. And that’s what
Unique needs. Unique is a funny horse. She’s quick. Mike Plumb called Unique ‘scary brave’ because she never refuses a jump. This horse is going to make you work for everything and Laine knows exactly how to deal with it. Unique is not a horse for a beginner.” That says volumes about this
thirteen-year-old. “Laine is brave,” says Merri. “The things that we work on in lessons she is willing to work on by herself so that you’re not starting from scratch each lesson. She listens and puts in a good effort to do what you ask her to do.” Carey sees the progress her daughter has made and what a great fit she and Merri are. “In case you hadn’t noticed today,” says Carey, “Laine worships the ground Merri walks on…I often bow to Merri as a joke when I greet her.”
Laine wasn’t
always brave, however. There was a time when the youngster was timid and nervous and her mom thought maybe things were going to come to a screeching halt. Then a schoolmaster in the form of an even-tempered Oldenburg mare named Misty appeared and was just the quiet confidence builder Laine needed. “Within a year, something happened,” says her mom.
Warmbloods Today 29
s (L-R) Laine and Unique warm up.
▼ Laine and Unique school over jumps.
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