20/ MAY 2012 THE RIDER


Teen Entrepeneur Tyler Cressman Introduces The Stall Steward


By Kelly Bowers


Tyler Cressman is a 17 year old from Lin- wood, ON who attends Elmira District Sec- ondary School. Ty has owned and ridden horses for as long as he can remember. He began show- ing them when he was 5 years old in Western Pleasure, Showmanship and several other classes at nearby Stratford, Rockton, and Milverton club shows. But as Tyler grew, so did his interest and skills. For the past six years, Tyler and his family have shown AQHA. In 2008 they made the long trip to compete at Congress where he placed Top 10 and was in the finals for Show- manship.


job. When he is not at school or riding a horse, he works at Jones Feed Mill Ltd. Tyler also has a huge interest in building things and in automa- tion. His favourite part of high school is building projects in Tech class. That enthusiasm transi- tioned into projects at home and a year ago Tyler decided to combine his passion for building and automation with his passion for horses. As a horse owner, he liked the idea of build- ing a machine that would cut the time and effort


Westfall coming to Ontario


By Jennifer Munday-Bro- phy


Stacy Westfall first gained meaning to me when I was sent a link to a video featuring Stacy’s 2006 Championship Freestyle Run, when she per- formed to the song “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw. She dedicated the


The name Stacy Like many other teens, Tyler has a part time


he and every other horse enthusiast spends clean- ing stalls. So, after much planning and hard work, Ty and his dad, Todd, built the first ver- sion of his manure/bedding sorter. How does it work? The unit’s spinning mesh cylinder produces a drumming action which allows small particles (cleaned bedding) to fall through holes in the mesh. The larger parti- cles (manure) are pushed to the front by paddles and drop into a wheelbarrow or muck bucket. It is a continuous feed design so there is no need to stop until done.


Besides saving time and effort, Ty explains that the process also cleans the bedding better which reduces the amount you need to add, and that saves money. The unit is under two feet wide by about four feet long and weighs 130 lb. It sits on wheels and a stand, making it easy to move from stall to stall.


I asked Tyler to name the five best things


about using a Stall Steward. He said it; Saves Time + Saves Energy + Saves your back and joints + Saves Bedding = Saves Money! A year of testing and three prototypes later, the machine evolved into a finished product they called Stall Steward which Tyler decided to man- ufacture and sell to Ontario horse people. For three days in March of this year, Tyler launched his new product at Can-Am in London, ON. He demonstrated a completely functional full size machine sifting bedding to interested onlookers. Tyler handed out literature, talked to hundreds of visitors and made lots of great contacts. This fall, Tyler will be beginning a 3 year Robotics and Automation course at Conestoga college. A small production run of Stall Steward was recently completed and the units are now available for sale with information available on the website www.stallsteward.com. Look for the ad in this issue of The Rider.


ride to her father, who had passed away almost a month prior to the event.


Whizard’s Baby Doll, better known as ‘Roxy’, whom Stacy raised and trained herself, entered the ring with Stacy gently rubbing her neck and tugging her mane with affection. The white outfit Stacy wore, contrasted sharply against the mare’s shiny, black coat. The crowd was already cheering. The performance that fol- lowed was stunning. Stacy not only rode com- pletely devoid of any tack, using natural commu- nication through her seat, posture and hands, but also the evident bond between her and the mare. Together they performed effortless, fluid reining moves; sliding stops, spins and turns. Not only did the pair move as one, but the music was per- fectly selected and the crowd went wild with emotion.


Stacy was invited to the Ellen Degeneres Show after the video went viral. Even people not into horses had heard of Stacy Westfall and her stunning, beautiful mare, Roxy. Ellen got the chance to see some of Stacy’s moves, and was treated to a ride herself on Roxy. Now, more than ever, was Stacy becoming a household name. Stacy Westfall had also been busy up until this point. She was the 2003 NRHA Futurity Freestyle Champion (Bridleless), 2005 All Amer- ican Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle Futurity Champion, 2005 NRHA Futurity Freestyle Champion, 2006 Road to the Horse Winner, and the 2006 All American Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle Champion. She is also, the only woman to ever win the prestigious Road to the Horse Competition.


This year, Stacy’s fans were saddened to hear of the sudden death of Roxy. Through it all, Stacy has remained stoic and strong. She contin- ues to give clinics and train. She is visiting sever- al cities in the United States in 2012, but this year Ontario will be fortunate enough to have her just once. Five Star Ranch will be hosting a three day clinic in May. Please see ad for details.


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