Maryland Riders Enter the Century Club T is year, four Maryland riders entered into
T e Dressage Foundation’s Century Club. T e club recognizes dressage riders and horses whose combined age totals 100 years or older. T e combination can compete at any level at recognized or schooling shows. Applicants must send their information and forms to the foundation before they compete. T e club was formed in 1996 and there are currently 112 members. T is was the fi rst year that anyone from Maryland has qualifi ed. T e newest members to the
club hailing from Maryland are Leslie Hubbell (Darnestown), Ann Yellott (Cockeysville), Marion Julier (Gaithersburg) and Ami Howard (Joppa). Here are their stories in their own words (except Ann Yellott, whose daugther Andie submit- ted her report).
Leslie Hubbell & Waps Classic, members #103
I grew up in a suburb near
Chicago but did not take my fi rst riding lesson until I was 52. Although I loved and dreamed of horses like most girls, the only experience I had was the occasional trail ride at camp. I earned my BA in English and in my 40s I went back for a Masters and PhD in music history. I have two children and my daughter always wanted to ride but due to the breakup of my marriage it was not possible un- til she was self-supporting. Going to her shows got me interested and fi nally I said, “why not?” Since then, I have owned three horses (one at a time) and never progressed beyond Training level. After my second husband had a stroke in 1994, I became his caregiver as well as continuing to work full time as a university budget analyst until my retirement at the end of 2011. Being able to spend a few hours a week on a horse is what kept me going. In 2005, Classic, my daughter’s horse who had been shown up through Prix St. Georges by her and Intermediaire I by her trainer, was retired from active competition and became my schoolmaster. T e past six years have been particularly diffi cult for my husband and me and it would be hard to overestimate the pleasure and comfort Classic has given me. I, and my husband, owe him a lot. Classic is an Appaloosa and was born and
bred in Pennsylvania. His mother died of colic shortly after his birth and my daughter feels all the attention he received has caused him to conclude he was a really a human being. He was born a bay with a white blanket and was originally intended to be a breeding stallion
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580
but when his brown coat began to roan out, he was gelded. My daughter bought him as a two- year-old. He was trained for both dressage and hunters but after cracking a pastern and tearing several ligaments, it was thought best that he stick to dressage. In the fall of 2010, at the age of 22, Classic
developed uveitis and glaucoma in both eyes. He lost the sight in his left eye but the right has been saved so far. He wears a fl y mask at all times to protect his eyes. Classic is the reason I decided to do the Cen- tury Club ride. He will never be mistaken for the Energizer Bunny, but he has patiently put up with my eff orts to coax elderly bones and muscles to assume unfamiliar posi- tions and has given me useful feedback. Our partnership is a work in progress.
Ann Yellott & Icasti- co, members #107
When Ann Yellott,
Leslie Hubbell of Darnestown aboard Waps Classic
currently 83, announced in 1935 at the age of six that she was changing her name to Cowboy Bob, it
merely confi rmed what everyone already knew, the kid was horse-crazy. And that has remained so. Never allowed to have a pony of her own as a child, she took every opportunity to ride any- thing and everything available. She took lessons in Montclair, New Jersey and then foxhunted while at Sweet Briar College. And somehow found horses to ride on various Marine Corps
With George, and a series of other horses, Ann hunted with Green Spring Valley Hounds and evented all around Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania before turning strictly to dressage in the early 90s. She has been an active volun- teer over the years for the Maryland Dressage Association, Maryland Combined Training Association and the T erapeutic Riding Pro- gram of Carroll County, as well as other orga- nizations. She continues to train and show bird dogs and has won several obedience and fi eld trials over the years. Her most recent mount is an Andalusian
named Icastico, nicknamed Ferdie after Munro Leaf ’s iconic character in the children’s book Ferdinand the Bull. True to his name, Ferdie is a gentle soul and is completely devoted to his human dressage partner. Ferdie is 18, giving the pair a combined age of 101. On May 26, the pair received a score of 60.645%
riding First Level Test 3 at the Maryland Dres- sage Association’s Heavenly Waters recognized dressage show to join the Century Club. T anks, Mom, for all the years we have spent together hunting, showing, eventing, hacking out, always living the dream. You are an inspiration to and loved by all who know you.
Marion Julier & Schaeferin, members #108
My wonderful ride was Schaeferin (“Shy”), a German-bred Hannovarian born July 2, 1982. Her sire, Salut, was a son of the renowned Han- novarian stallion Sender, out of a State Premium mare. She was imported to the U.S. as a two- year-old and is currently owned by Jane Sei- gler (Dressage at Sundown, Laytonsville, and Maryland Horse Council vice president). Jane purchased Shy as a seven-year-old with Train- ing Level dressage experience and a big, eff ort- less jump. Jane’s initial plan was to event Shy, but she scrapped that idea after Shy’s dressage talent began to shine through. During the course of her career, the lion-
Ann Yellott of Cockeysville on Icastico
bases where she lived with her husband Ken. Raising two children and various bird dogs took precedence and her riding career was put on the back burner until the mid-70s when she got her fi rst horse named George, a retired staff horse from the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club.
hearted mare roared back after two separate surgeries on her left hock, each requiring al- most a year off and having guarded progno- ses. Jane let Shy tell her what she felt ready to do, and eventually was able to train and campaign her successfully through Prix St. Georges. A superb combination of sensitive and sensible, Shy has taught and continues to teach countless students the use of correct aids—as well as the fun tricks! Jane remarked, “Shy is the most supple horse I have ever sat on, and although she is
calm enough to hack out anywhere alone, and practically falls asleep in the cross ties, the in- tensity of her concentration on her rider and her desire to communicate and work with you palpably crackles with electricity whenever you
continued... SEPTEMBER 2012 | THE EQUIERY | 31
853107-120912
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112