My Story

My first horses were pets, Turbo and Peaches. My parents gave me these two horses when I was six years old. Feeding, meeting the farrier, riding, and loving them was my responsibility. I’ve loved horses since I was a tiny girl, I wanted one of my own so badly. I got my wish.

I started taking riding lessons at a stable near my home when I was ten. When I was twelve, I started training under United States Dressage Federation Gold Medalist, Robin Hessel, of Valley View Equestrian Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I live on a ranch with my parents about thirty minutes away.

I had no idea when I was ten how much my life would change because of a pet horse. As I write this, I am thirteen, which I realize isn’t that much older in years - but in experiences, my whole world is different now.

In all honesty, my riding competitions didn’t start out that great. Once I started training, I entered a few schooling shows. At the time, I rode a schooling quarter horse. I was doing a little bit of dressage and some jumping. My first few competitions didn’t go well for me. I didn’t mind the dressage even though I was very new to learning the show protocol, but I knew for a fact I didn’t like the jumping! I didn’t like it at all - so much nervous energy. After winter show break, and a lot more training, my next show year was lots of fun… and from there things have really improved.

I was twelve when I changed to my new stable with Robin. One of the first things she taught me was how all the physical work of maintaining a stable would help me improve my core strength. She showed me even shoveling horse poop could be done in a way to build my overall body strength, which helped me in the saddle.

My first year and a half with dressage (no jumping) has been a very positive experience for me. Dressage means “the training of the horse”. Since moving under the training of Robin and Hessel Dressage, I’ve learned something important in dressage success: think like a horse.

Robin helped me to “learn” how my horse thinks, and then all the training for the movements is not me telling him what to do, but me thinking like him, and learning how HE thinks… so I can teach him to obey my commands. My horse Lupo isn’t really mine. He belongs to Robin, but I love him enough and train him enough to call him “mine”… more about Lupo later in the story.

When people who don’t understand the sport of dressage watch it, they think it must be very nerve-racking because of the strictness of how it’s judged, because down to the smallest, barely noticeable movement of horse and rider - can be a deduction. I find it to be the opposite. I find competition to be very calming because I know my horse and I’ve trained him to the test. He wants to please me (most of the time!)

I try to train myself to read how the horse will react under different circumstances. And, because I help train other horses, I’ve learned how to get to know each animal individually. I work with their personality, not against it. Just like people… get to know them, understand how they act, then build upon that framework for a relationship. People and horses are very similar… but horses are easier!

what i love:

I love everything about dressage. I go to bed thinking about it, and I wake up thinking about it. I love that my sport looks and feels natural to me. I have a plan each day for what I’m going to do. I spend a large amount of my time at the stable. Some wonder why a young teenager would want to spend so much time working with horses. My answer is very simple… I love horses.

I also love the people at the stable. There are not many junior riders at my stable, so my friend group is mostly older ladies. I’m blessed to hang out every day with United States Dressage Federation Bronze and Silver riders, and many of these women are working towards their Gold. These older gals encourage me, instruct me, and cheer for me.

When I won the USDF Bronze (as of now, I’m the youngest in the state of Oklahoma, and one of the youngest in the United States), all these women who supported and helped me came to my house for a party. It was a blast!

By training and training, I know what my horse is going to do. I try to motivate him to do it to the best of his ability. I love everything about this!

my schooling:

I’m a homeschool student. Like a lot of kids, I don’t love school because it’s getting harder and keeps me from where I want to be - the barn. My mom is really focused on my school. She helps me stay on track, even with all the horse shows and barn days.

While my parents have been tough in my schooling, in my riding they stay out of my way. This helps me. They often ask me if I need help, but it’s easier if I just do it myself instead of explaining what to do, and I can make sure it’s done the right way. They let me do my own thing in regards to my dedication to the sport of dressage. There was a time when I thought my parents were in the way, I thought they were smothering me. But once I started competing, I realized they are definitely NOT smothering parents. I’ve seen those smothering parents, and I would not like that at all. I’m glad they trust me to manage my time at the stable and get the most out of my training. Yes, I still have to do all my school work and take all my tests!

what dressage means to me:

A Enter. X Halt Salute

H-P Lengthen Stride & Trot

P Working Trot

While that might seem like a foreign language to some, as a dressage rider, it all makes perfect sense to me. And that’s one of the reasons I love dressage. Those phrases are parts of the test, and my horse and I are judged on each step of each movement. I memorize the test, then my horse and I do all the required patterns, as many as nine movements, a number which will increase with each level. It is up to me to memorize the test, and to have trained my horse to listen to me while I do the test. We have to recover from any mistake quickly. No pressure! This happens provided I’ve trained my horse to respond to my aids. That’s the technical side of dressage.

On the emotional side of dressage, besides just loving the horse and the sport, I enjoy the challenge. I like finding solutions, and because I also ride and help with other horses, I have the benefit of finding LOTS of solutions! I then apply these to my own horse, which I find exciting. I like to figure it out, then put my solutions into action. I like to strengthen my mind, because that’s where the win is. I ride multiple horses, so this helps me strengthen my body and my mind – which I enjoy.

My Goals for the Future:

In the future I want to become a professional judge and horse trainer. I intend to use my love of the sport for the rest of my life.

I’ve won some awards in 4-H horse judging competitions. I feel I have an understanding of how a horse operates by watching it in the show ring. Giving reasons has been the most challenging part of learning horse judging for me. I’m still working on that part.

Each horse is different and has different abilities. I can’t plan to have a Prix St George horse if he is only capable of getting to First Level. I won’t know the horse’s capabilities completely until certain requirements have been met. And some horses can only get to Third Level. That’s okay. That’s when you look for a horse who has already met those requirements.

While I’m planning for the future, I understand my horse is planning on munching grass or treats! I try to keep that in mind. I work on strength training, I watch videos to learn more, I’m being taught by my instructor and mentor, Robin. My favorite part of having a USDF Gold Medal winner as a mentor… she doesn’t just help me with riding, she helps me properly take care of things from barn maintenance to care of horses and other animals. Along with my parents, she’s also taught me how to be polite and courteous at all times, even when I don’t feel like it. All these things are needed to be successful at dressage.

How I Train:

There are many elements to my training which I’ve listed above. But I think one of the reasons I’ve had some success is because I’m always training for the next level up. I don’t train for one certain level. I practice the next level up, so I’m prepared for it when it’s time. This also helps me in my current level.

Who I Ride:

Lupo is a 19-year-old Hanoverian. I ride him for his owner, my trainer and mentor, Robin Hessel of Valley View Equestrian Center. I won the USDF Bronze in 2019 riding Lupo. He can be lazy at times. If I don’t tell him to get out there and be fancy, he’s completely content to hang out and do minimal work. I’ve worked hard to train him out of this mindset, but I always keep in mind he’s likely thinking about eating or relaxing. One of the main things I like about Lupo is he’s a really fancy horse, but he’s willing to listen to me. And even though he’s aging, he still acts like a young horse.

Barbie Doll is the horse I own. She’s a six-year-old Westfalen. My goal for her is to train her to be a Third Level horse (USDF) and then sell her. She’s currently at First Level, so I have a lot of work to do. The thing I like about Barbie is she’s a fancy little mover. She’s very sweet, and she’s willing to do what I ask her to do – even if she gets it wrong. She’s very determined to get it right. I love her attitude.

My Art:

I was drawing horses long before I owned a horse, and long before I started riding. The horse was always my favorite animal to draw and paint. Even when I didn’t understand art, I loved the lines of a horse, and it seems I can see in my mind how a horse would look in certain positions. Once I started riding, I learned even more about the anatomy of the muscle structure of a horse, and I enjoy transferring that to paper. I mostly enjoy doodling on notebook paper – I like to catch the personality of the animal with pen and ink. I have won some awards and recognitions for my art. I sign my artwork “THG” (The Horse Girl). That’s how I became Chloe the Horse Girl.