Ava Stearns

Mar 10, 2024 | chronofhorse.com | Nicole Mandracchia |Lois U. Horvitz |Laura Lemon |Ava Stearns

Thermal, Calif.—March 9Last year Sabine Close made her debut in the R.W. Mutch Equitation Championship, and it didn’t go quite to plan. She and her partner Off To Neverland ticked a few rails on the course, which she attributed to an imperfect warm-up. So this year she came back determined to nail both the warm-up and the rounds in the ring. That determination paid off with two stellar rounds that gave her first place in the class by a solid 12 points.

Jan 18, 2024 | chronofhorse.com | Nicole Mandracchia |Laura Lemon |Ava Stearns |Molly Sorge

When it’s time to buy a horse, where do you turn? Does your trainer hobnob with horse professionals on your behalf? Do you go to the track in search of a ready-to-retire race horse to retrain? Pop on a plane to horse hunt in Holland? Pore through posters pinned to porta-potties at the horse show?  Or maybe you muse over the multitudes of online listings. Whatever your approach, the decision to try a horse is often based on information in a horse-for-sale-ad.

Dec 5, 2023 | chronofhorse.com | Virginia Daffron |Ava Stearns |Nicole Mandracchia |Amy K. Dragoo

When 13-year-old Tessa Downey walked up in her paddock boots and garters to try towering 17.2-hand HH Moonshine almost five years ago, the gelding’s trainer was a tad skeptical. “I remember Val [Renihan] looked at my paddock boots and was like, ‘I’m not sure how this is going to go,’ ” Downey, Houston, Texas, recalled with a laugh.

Nov 29, 2023 | chronofhorse.com | Laura Lemon |Erin Harty |Hannah Sherk |Ava Stearns

The equitation discipline provides the basis for developing proper position and riding technique. Form instructs function. Good position is an integral and essential part of good riding. Balance, connection, stride, direction—instructors drill the basics and practice pattern after pattern. From the wellspring of equitation flows competency in all equestrian sport.