Lily Reddish 2013 Equiery Perpetual Hunter Award Winner
by Katherine O. Rizzo When this year’s Equiery Perpetual Hunt-
er Award Winner Lily Reddish fi rst sat on a pony, her parents Laura and Rod did not know that just a few short years later, their daughter would not only be showing, but showing com- petitively both on the local and national lev- els. “I had taken some riding lessons as a kid but we wanted Lily to be exposed to lots of diff erent activities,” Laura said pointing out that Lily has tried all kinds of sports. “When it came to riding, it was the one sport she just kept asking to do,” she added. “It looked like a fun sport and the more I did it, the more I thought it was cool and fun,” Lily said. While in the Day
Riders program at C and C Stable with Adriane Vogel, Lily got a taste of competition, showing locally on a pony named Gryffi ndor that her parents bought her. “I’m telling you, we knew nothing about horses and showing. It was great to be working with a trainer we trusted so well,” Laura said. A few years later, Lily entered sixth grade at the McDonogh School in Ow- ings Mill and at fi rst had no intention of riding, but a lot of her new friends were in the rid- ing program so Lily gave it a try. She instantly caught the eye of trainer Amy Moore who talked with the Reddish family about making a plan for Lily’s competitive future. “She was like a sponge. She wanted to learn something from every pony and every lesson,” Amy said. “When Lily got to working with Amy, it was like going from A to Z,” Laura added.
Pony Power
Although Gryffi ndor was a fantastic pony, Amy suggested that Lily take a year to lease some of the more experienced ponies from
Lily and Logan (Sham’s Loganberry) at State College
McDonogh. T e Reddish family donated their pony to the program and Lily began riding the super pony duo of Hillcrest Treasure Chest and Sham’s Loganberry. Sound familiar? T ose names should, as they have guided now three young riders to winning this Equiery award. “Logan is a really nice pony. He listens very well and is fun to jump,” Lily said of Sham’s Logan- berry. “Logan is a wonder- ful teacher and a proven winner. I thought it would be a great opportunity for her to experience what an amazing pony could do for her riding and confi dence,” Amy added. Competing in the Small/Medium Chil- dren’s divisions, Logan and Lily proved to be unstop- pable, winning at several big shows. Lily said that State Col- lege was her favorite show of the 2012 season because it was her fi rst big rated show. T e pair was cham- pion both days. With Char-
lie (Hillcrest Treasure Chest), Lily found her- self winning at Zone Finals and placing in the top ten with Logan as well. Lily said this was her most challenging competition of the year because it was her fi rst time showing in an indoor. As for Amy, she felt
that every show was a high spot of 2012, stating, “Lily and Lo- gan had a great sea- son. Every time she showed Logan, it was a highlight for me to see her grow.” And we cannot forget Pony Finals! T ere she rode Jumpin’ Jack Splash to 26th in a fi eld of 110 ponies. “I feel like this
was a really big moment for Lily in 2012.
She
had such a great jump r ound, ” Laura said, adding that the whole season
showing was a great learning experience for Lily and her family.
School and Horses Being both an athlete and a student can be
hard. Riding and spending time at the barn while keeping good grades and doing home- work can be a big balancing act. Not to mention that Lily also plays lacrosse for McDonogh. “It was all very challenging at fi rst but things are easier this year,” Lily said. Her day starts early and ends late with classes before lacrosse prac- tice followed by riding. She typically makes it home after 6 p.m. to eat dinner and get started on homework. “Lily is extremely organized and very dedi-
cated. She is such a self-motivated kid and is able to do a lot of juggling to get it all done,” Laura said. Amy added, “She is a determined, hard-working kid. Any goal she sets for herself she will be able to achieve.” Setting goals and having
Lily and Charlie (Hillcrest Treasure Chest) on their way to winning at the WIHS Zone FInals
EQUIERY PERPETUAL HUNTER AWARD When T e Equiery fi rst spoke with the Maryland Horse Show Association about sponsoring an award, similar to awards already given by T e
Equiery in dressage, eventing and foxhunting, two goals were quickly agreed upon. First, the award needed to promote the hunter discipline among Marylanders competing in Maryland. Second, the award needed to highlight an amateur rider who is aspiring to be the best he or she can with the means and time they have. T is award is to be presented to the junior or amateur with the highest number of year-end points in a Maryland-resident division recognized by the Maryland Horse Shows Association. Rider must be both a current Maryland resident and member of the Maryland Horse Shows Association. A rider may only win this award once.
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 MAY 2013 | THE EQUIERY | 15
dedication seems to be a theme for Lily. When asked if she would ever try other equestrian sports outside of hunters, she said she’d like to try eventing some day but probably would only com- pete in hunters because she wants to stay committed to one sport to be able to per- form at her best. Her advice for other young riders is very similar stating, “If you want to do it, you must be com- mitted and put the work into it to be able to go far and
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