March 2020 - Sprieser Sporthorse LLC

Playing The Odds

By Lauren Sprieser|2020-03-31T17:37:34-04:00March 31st, 2020|COTH Posts|

On Tuesday, after watching the numbers rise, after seeing the growing numbers of states restrict movement, and after listening to recommendations from the CDC and other medical experts, I felt I had no choice but to close my barns in Florida and Virginia to all but critical staff in order to do our part to flatten the curve and reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Almost all of my clients were incredibly gracious and supportive. But I know that many of my trainer friends have experienced clients who are not so understanding.

It wasn’t a decision I took lightly. I hated thinking about their lost rides, about the time and the money they’d invested to come to Florida. But at the end of the day, the case to close was so much more compelling than that to stay open. The risk of illness to them, the risk of illness to my staff and me, the best interests for the caretaking of the horses.

And so there was no one at the farm besides my two working students when a horse I was riding slipped, went down and landed on me.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

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Comings & Goings: A Note From Lauren

By Lauren Sprieser|2020-03-23T08:05:47-04:00March 23rd, 2020|News & Events|

Hi Sprieser Sporthorse family. We had this grand plan to lay out some long-planned staff changes in a tranquil way once we were close to getting back from FL, and then the coronavirus reared its spiky little head, forcing our hand much earlier than planned. So I’m going to jankily tell you all about some changes to our team that will be happening over the next few weeks.

First, a quick scheduling announcement: I don’t think it shocks anyone that I’m going to cancel my trip home to teach you all this weekend. I have a feeling that the government and/or the airline is going to force my hand on this anyway, but I don’t think it’s in anyone’s best interest for me to get on a plane. So instead, I’m sending Jess home from FL early – she’ll arrive on Friday, March 27. All lessons currently scheduled can stay scheduled, they’ll just be with her instead. Lessons with Jess are still $45, until 5/1. (Just as a note, in case you’ve missed it the other gajillion times I’ve mentioned it – I go up to $100 for trailer-ins and $85 for boarders, and Jess goes up to $55 for trailer-ins and $50 for boarders, all on 5/1.)

Which leads me to some news. I am so terribly sad to be bidding adieu, after years of friendship and teamwork, to my dear friend, Lauren Fisher. Lauren’s boyfriend, Kyle, has been transferred to a position in Fort Worth, and Lauren will be leaving us to join him. We’d originally planned for her departure to be around our return from FL, but with Jess heading home early, Lauren will also be leaving early. Her last day will be Sunday, March 29. Lauren, I am so incredibly grateful for your time with us, and I wish you nothing but the absolute best in your new adventure.

Joining us in early May will be a familiar face to some of you: Karrigan Norris, who worked for us for one winter in Florida as a working student, has since completed her college career, and has been teaching and riding freelance. Karrigan is a delight, as well as an extremely accomplished rider and trainer: Karrigan has brought her rescue Saddlebred-pinto-who-knows-what gelding, Phoenix, from unbacked to Intermediate I. Jess and I are beyond delighted to welcome her to the family. Karrigan’s lessons will be $45 to trailer-ins and $40 for boarders.

We are also sad to be saying goodbye to working student Anna, as she heads home to begin college. With COVID-19, we’re saying farewell earlier than planned, but we’re very excited to welcome new working student Max to the family. The Florida crowd is also saying farewell to working student Caitlin, who really rescued us by filling a sudden vacancy in December, and we’ll be joined by new working student Emma at the end of May. Anna and Caitlin, it has been an absolute pleasure knowing you, and we all wish you the best of luck in what comes next for you!

If you’re following along with a calendar (and possibly an abacus), you’ll notice we’ll be down a working student for a few weeks, between our return from Florida in mid-April and Emma’s joining us at the end of May. We appreciate your patience during this time!

Jess, Rachel, Emily – who’s officially our Assistant Barn Manager – and I are very excited for our new team members to join us, as well as for the COVID-19 virus to leave us, so we can start getting back to some normalcy. We’re also terribly grateful for some pinch-hitting by Brittany, who has been helping us over the winter, and who will continue to do so until we’re all hands on deck.

But we’re mostly grateful to all of you, for your patience as we sort out the comings and goings, new faces, and global chaos of this trying time. Your horse’s care and safety is paramount to us all, as ever, and with new challenges to the global landscape, we’re so thankful that you all are so understanding and graceful about rolling with change. If I can answer any questions, please let me know!

Lauren

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CONGRATULATIONS JESS! Plus clinics, COVID and more – March e-newsletter

By Lauren Sprieser|2020-03-17T04:53:24-04:00March 17th, 2020|News & Events|

Our Jess Idol is the newest USDF Silver Medalist! And in spite of a shortened Florida season, we had plenty of big successes, plus some great upcoming events at the end of April and into May. Read all about them, plus all about our COVID-19 arrangements to help keep you in touch with your horses while protecting all of us from the virus, in our March e-newsletter, and sign up to receive it directly in your inbox!

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Toolbox Building, With Help From The Dressage Foundation

By Lauren Sprieser|2020-03-11T05:43:32-04:00March 11th, 2020|COTH Posts|

The Dressage Foundation was kind enough to honor me with a Major Lindgren Instructor Education grant to allow me to ride with Olympic bronze medalist and living legend Mike Poulin. I have a fair bit of experience bringing lunatics up the levels, but I don’t have a lot of mileage doing it with more reasonable horses, and as I currently have two polite animals in my life—Elvis and Swagger—as well as a bunch of students on young horses that aren’t wild things, I was excited to expand my toolbox with Mike this winter, adding new tips and tricks I can use to help my students develop their FEI horses more wisely.

Annoyingly, the schedule this winter has had other plans. Mike’s travel schedule seemed to only accommodate weeks that Elvis was at a CDI—not the time to be talking about piaffe strategy, which is my primary focus on him for the year once we’re done showing. The handful of other times we’ve been able to make it work, it’s rained. But I’ve finally gotten in a few lessons, on all of my horses, and I’ve learned a ton.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

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Bellinger, 1992-2020

By Lauren Sprieser|2020-03-03T19:25:37-05:00March 3rd, 2020|COTH Posts|

I had just turned 18. I’d shown a bad Prix St. Georges on a borrowed horse the summer before I started college, and I’d gone to school horseless, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to really dedicate myself to horses or just ride for fun.

Two weeks into my first semester of college I realized the huge mistake I’d made, and I begged my parents for the opportunity to try for the FEI North American Young Rider Championships. The decision was made to shop in Europe, so off my mom and I flew to Frankfurt, Germany, driving the three hours to Warendorf, and arriving late in the afternoon. It was January, and bitterly cold, and dark. And the agent with whom we were shopping said he had a few horses to see that night, if we were up for it. I was so excited I couldn’t even see straight, but my mom wanted to stay at the hotel and catch a nap, so off I went.

I returned a few hours later declaring that I’d found my horse—the first one I’d seen. My mom laughed. Sure, sure, she said.

But 15 horses later, Bellinger or “Billy” still had my heart. So he came home with us.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse.

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