Former Heritage Rider Katherine Schmidt Butler Honored with Jersey Retirement at University of South Carolina

Former Heritage Farm working student Katherine Schmidt was honored with the first jersey retirement in NCEA history at the University of South Carolina. She is photographed with USC Head Coach Boo Major. Photo Courtesy Katherine Schmidt.

The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) had never in its history retired the jersey of one of its athletes—that is, until the University of South Carolina presented Catherine Schmidt Butler with the honor Friday in Columbia, SC, following the team's meet against Oklahoma State.

The all-time leader for career wins (101) in NCEA history, Schmidt Butler was a member of three Southern Equestrian Championship teams; was a two-time SEC Rider of the Year; and captured the 2015 NCEA National Championship with the Gamecocks. Before that, she honed her skills for the equitation ring with Heritage Farm.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet, and it might not for a while," said Schmidt Butler, 30, of her jersey retirement. "I'm so proud to have been a product of the Heritage program. Andre and his team really gave me the tools to succeed in the equitation. Had I not come through the program, I don't think I'd be where I am."

Schmidt Butler began her riding career with Darren Graziano, and when the respected professional recognized Schmidt Butler's talent for equitation, he organized some lessons for his pupil with Heritage. Schmidt, then 15, jumped the equitation championships with Heritage later that year before Dignelli offered her the opportunity to become a working student with the program. 

"Darren remains one of the most influential people in my life, as does Andre," Schmidt Butler said. "After that first year, Andre really took me under his wing and said, 'Let's really work on this, hone your skills, polish your riding and make you a top equitation rider!'"

Schmidt Butler was the 2010 NEHC Junior Hunt Seat Medal Final Reserve Champion with Heritage Farm. Photo by Anne Gittins.

Katherine Schmidt Butler and Andre Dignelli. Photo by James Parker

With Heritage, Schmidt Butler earned the Reserve Championship at the 2010 NEHC Junior Medal Final; was fifth in the USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic; and finished eighth in the WEF Equitation Championship, among other accolades. She rode countless horses that came through the Heritage Farm Development Program, preparing her for the catch-riding required of collegiate equestrian athletics.

"I hit the ground running when I came to Heritage. I was riding different horses every day and showing different horses every week. Sometimes I wouldn't know what horse I was showing until the day of my class," Schmidt Butler recalled. "It really helped prepare me for NCEA riding. I went into college with so much confidence and never really looked back."

Schmidt Butler competing for the University of South Carolina. Photo by Juan Blas. 

She had immediate success in college. As a freshman, Schmidt Butler set a record for wins in both Flat and Fences, finishing a combined 25-7-0, and earned the Most Outstanding Freshman award for her team. She ended her collegiate career with multiple records, among them: career wins in Flat (46), career wins in Fences (55), and most MOP (Most Outstanding Player) honors in Fences (17).

She also shined academically and was a three-time NCEA All-Academic First Team Selection and four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member. She graduated cum laude with a double-major in Marketing and HR Management with a minor in Sports and Entertainment.

"Riding at the collegiate level is seriously one of the biggest privileges of my life," Schmidt Butler said. "All the experience I had riding so many different types of horses made me successful. My teammates were also a huge part. Riding is so individual, you think of it mostly that way as a junior. Working together with the other girls on my team was a new experience and one that helped socially bring me out of my shell."

Schmidt Butler is now a young professional at Hampden Row in Richmond, VA, working alongside Jan Simpson and Lindsay Milligan. She trains a variety of riders across the hunter, jumper and equitation divisions and competes in the professional hunter divisions. This fall, she and Angelia Goodwin's Soulful finished second in the Green Hunter 3'3" at the Capital Challenge Horse Show.

"My time at Heritage certainly boosted my college career, but it has also served me well in my professional career—and will continue to do so for however long I am in this industry, which is hopefully a very long time," Schmidt Butler said. "I use tools I’ve learned at Heritage both in horsemanship and care, as well as in my riding and coaching, in my every day life at the barn. I am so thankful to Andre, Laena, Patricia, Dottie [and beyond], for taking me under their wing."

Photo Courtesy Katherine Schmidt Butler

Beyond the Ingate With Emma Simon

Emma Simon and Cyrus. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography

Emma Simon

• Age: 15

• Hometown: Manhattan, NY

• Horse(s): Cyrus

• 2023 Highlights: Third, Gymnastics Phase of 2023 USHJA 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal Final; 11th, ASPCA Maclay Region 2 Championship

It's been a fall season of firsts for Emma Simon, as she and her 11-year-old Westphalian gelding Cyrus have pursued the 3'6" equitation finals for the first time.

Simon, 15, missed the 2022 indoor season while her horse rehabbed an injury, and it had been nearly two years since she had contested a championship when she entered the arena for the ASPCA Maclay Region 2 Championship in September. She made the ribbons, finishing 11th, and carried that confidence forward to the USHJA 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal Final, where she finished third in the gymnastic phase with a score of 87.
 

"It's been nice to come back to indoors and feel like I can be competitive, especially at Capital Challenge," Simon said. "The team at Heritage did a great job making me feel prepared. We prepare so extensively at home, that I haven't felt like I've seen anything at the Finals that I haven’t seen at home."

After Capital Challenge, Simon and Cyrus jumped their first USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals at Harrisburg. Just before that championship, Simon learned that she was among the recipients of the 2023 Leo Conroy Equitation Grant, which she will use to compete at this weekend's ASPCA Maclay National Championship.

"The application process was very thorough," Simon said. "It required a two-part essay, which asked about what riding means to you and what it has done for you, and three references. Receiving that email that I had won was definitely a good feeling. It felt like the hard work I put into it had paid off."

Photo by ESI Photography

Simon has ridden at Heritage Farm for two and a half years, a move prompted by the desire to be more competitive in the equitation divisions. As full-time student at Horace Mann—a college preparatory school in the Bronx, NY—traveling south for the winter months was not an option, but Simon didn't want that to affect the quality of her training. Heritage's Winter Warrior program has proved to be the perfect fit.
 

"Heritage has a great winter program. There is no one else that competes at this level that really offers that," Simon shared. "That was a big point for me. With school, I can’t go down to Florida. To have the same kind of training up north in the winter and still have that high level experience has been so important."

She's moved up the levels with Cyrus, who at Capital Challenge was honored as Best Equitation Horse of the USHJA Jumping Seat Medal Final.

"He’s just the best horse. He’s so kind in his stall and in the saddle," Simon gushed. He's so forgiving. He'll never hold it against you when make mistake, and there have been lots of them!

"He's just wonderful and he knows his job. Even if he's in a new place, he just goes around," she continued. "It was the first time for both of us at Medal Finals, and he just marched around like a pro."

Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography

Simon credits the newfound confidence she's formed in the show ring to the foundation in preparation she's been able to build at Heritage. After Maclay Finals, she'll prepare for another winter at Heritage in Katonah, NY, with her eye toward shows at Old Salem Farm. Her ultimate goal is to earn a ribbon at one of the premier 3'6" national championships.
 

"I used to be a nervous rider. I was very anxious, and I had a specific routine I'd need to do before every show. What Heritage has given me is the confidence to know that when I go into the ring, [I'm ready, because] I've done my preparation at home," Simon shared. "Most things that I see at the shows, I've done at home, so that element of nervousness is no longer there. I can think about the course I’m riding without anything else getting in the way."

Beyond the Ingate with Cecelia Perry

Cecelia Perry and Post Malone. Photo by KIND Media, LLC

Cecelia Perry

• Age: 17

• Hometown: Boynton Beach, FL

• Horse(s): Post Malone, Cornet Z

• 2023 Highlights: Fifth, USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - East; eighth, ASPCA Maclay Region 2 Championship

Cecelia Perry had never before ridden at the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - East ahead of her October 2023 debut in Gladstone, NJ. Her mount, Heritage Farm's Post Malone was even lighter on experience. The 12-year-old KWPN gelding had never before jumped in a USEF Show Jumping Talent Search class.

But that meant nothing to the talented duo, who finished fifth in the Championship, receiving scores of 84.5, 88 and 90 over the course of the respective flat, gymnastic and jumping phases. 

Perry, whose show age is 16, is admittedly not one to thinkabout names, numbers or circumstances. After the flat phase, the Boynton Beach, FL native wasn't aware that she sat as high as 16th, or that her gymnastic phase had moved her up an additional 10 places on the leaderboard.

"I felt very well prepared, but this was still my first Talent Search Finals and Post Malone's first ever Talent Search class, and I wasn't sure how he was going to react [to the atmosphere]," Perry said. "I was really happy with his flat, and I didn't think much about [the standings]."

Cecelia Perry and Post Malone received fifth honors at the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - East. Photo by KIND Media, LLC

Perry arrived at Heritage Farm just eight months ago, but she quickly made an impact, taking wins in the USEF Medal and WIHS Jumper Phase during the 2023 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Getting involved with the Heritage Farm Development Program, she has helped produce several equitation mounts for Heritage, and after the program moved north for the summer season, she began monthly commutes to Katonah, riding any horse offered to her across the Junior Hunter, Children's Jumper and equitation divisions.

"I've gained so much confidence at Heritage: I know I can walk into the show ring and be competitive. I'm not worried that my horse and I aren't going to be on the same page. I'm not worried that I'm not going to know how to ride the lines," Perry said. "Andre just gives me a lot of confidence. He teaches challenging exercises at home, so when we go to the show, everything in the ring seems easier."

Photo by KIND Media, LLC

While working with a variety of mounts, Perry was uncertain whom her partner would be for the fall championships, until Dignelli sent her a video of a horse he was importing this summer. Named Post Malone (and affectionately called, "Baxter"), the athletic bay had jumped some impressive classes in Europe and showed promise for the equitation ring.

"Andre sent me a video of him while I went home for four days. He looked amazing, like he’d been doing equitation for a while, when he'd been jumping some big classes only a few weeks before," Perry said. "When I came back to New York and rode him, I fell in love instantly; he's exactly my ride. He listens so well, and he does all the things. He's obviously new to equitation, and he has so much more to learn, but I do, too."

Perry and Baxter kicked off their partnership with an eighth place finish in the ASPCA Maclay Region 2 Championships at Old Salem Farm. They also earned ribbons in the 16-Year-Old Equitation at Capital Challenge before heading to Gladstone. 

"I’m excited our future together," Perry said. "Our placing at Gladstone really showed me that we’re able to be competitive in these next upcoming finals."

Perry has also qualified for the USEF Medal Final, WIHS Equitation Championship and ASPCA Maclay National Championship this fall. It will be her first time competing in each of the three national championships; in addition to Post Malone, she will also show Heritage Farm's Cornet Z. 

"Short-term, I want to have a good indoors. I'm excited about the upcoming shows. I'll also be riding Cornet Z, who is only seven, but has had 'it' from Day One," Perry said. "Beyond that, I want to continue to learn and hopefully have some great results. I just want to get better at everything."

Photo by KIND Media, LLC

USEF Protocol: Vesicular Stomatitis

In response to the recent VS outbreak, Heritage Farm will restrict entries from USDA confirmed VS Affected States.

This protocol has been provided and outlined by USEF, identified as Option A.

For more information, click here.

Beyond the Ingate with Maxine Boeding

In this behind-the-scenes series from Heritage Farm, we’re introducing you to the program’s horses and riders in a whole new way. Get to know our group beyond what you’ve seen ringside, accolades and all:

Maxine Boeding and Jalabert. Photo by Shawn McMillen.

Maxine Boeding

• Age: 15

• Hometown: Sag Harbor, NY

• Horse(s): Jalabert, Cador des Forets

• 2022 Highlights: Sixth Overall, 2022 USHJA 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal Final — East, winning the gymnastic phase and finishing second in the jumping phase; qualified, 2022 ASPCA Maclay National Championship

For Maxine Boeding, riding at Heritage has become a family affair. Not only does her younger sister Ruby ride alongside her, but in order to make training with the operation more accessible, the Boedings moved their entire family from their Long Island, NY home to be closer to Heritage’s Katonah, NY base. A 2 ½-hour commute to the barn is now less than 30 minutes.

“I have really amazing, supportive parents who are just as into this as me,” Boeding said. “[The move] was all in the attempt to spend as much time at the barn as we can.”

A self-proclaimed “Type A overachiever,” Boeding can be found spending any extra minute she can riding extra horses, watching lessons, pouring over videos of previous equitation championships, and mentoring younger riders. Having started with Heritage at age 12, the now 15-year-old is entering her first full season targeting the Big Eq classes and will spend two months in Wellington, FL this winter.

“I’m always asking, ‘What is the next thing I’m preparing for? What is the next thing I can keep in mind and look forward to?” Boeding explained. “You can think you’re the most prepared and [make a mistake], but I like to think that everyone has an even chance of doing well. I try to prepare myself the best I can for that.” 

Things came together for Boeding at the 2022 Capital Challenge Horse Show, where she and mount Jalabert finished sixth overall in the USHJA 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal Finals — East. Out of more than 160 riders, Boeding won the gymnastics phase and finished second in the jumping phase. 

“It was exactly what I could have hoped for,” Boeding said. “I tend to set these high expectations for myself, but the best thing was that I had no expectations [there]. I was really happy with how the show went, and having the whole team at the ring was a very big deal.”

Maxine Boeding shares her Capital Challenge win with Laena Romond, Dottie Barnwell Areson and Andre Dignelli.

Boeding has been paired with “Bert,” a 9-year-old KWPN gelding for the last year and a half, after Andre Dignelli scouted the bay in Europe. Boeding didn’t even know the horse’s name, but she trusted her trainer’s judgement, and she immediately fell in love with the gelding upon his stateside arrival. Working with Bert has been a rewarding journey for his rider. A talented yet sometimes-nervous individual, the bay always had jumping ability but has greatly progressed in his flatwork since being imported.

“Every day, we’re learning something new together. It’s the process: I love it, and it’s so rewarding when you do well,” Boeding said. “I’ve loved helping to teach everything to him and working to build a program for him. It’s all felt so purposeful. If you asked me last year if I would have done so well at Capital Challenge, I would have said, ‘No way, I don’t think we’re ready for that.’ He’s just an amazing horse.”

Boeding added Cador des Forets to her string last year, and the “kind soul” has become a triple threat in the hunter, jumper and equitation rings. “Cador” will target the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals and look to give Boeding her first experiences in the junior jumpers.

“He’s a kind and caring animal who really has a lot to give,” Boeding said. “He has taught me so much.”

Maxine Boeding and Cador des Forets. Photo by Shawn McMillen.

Boeding has an “insatiable hunger for knowledge,” and riding with Heritage has allowed her to not only pick the brains of her well-versed trainers, but to also learn from her peers. That has made a great impact.

“One of the best things Heritage has brought to me is the ability to watch and learn from people I’d been watching my whole life,” she said. “I’ve jumped courses with Eliza Kimball, Natalie Jayne, Jordan Girard, Hannah Hoch…I was in the ring with my idols—that was a surreal moment for me.”

As Boeding readies to take on the 2023 Winter Equestrian Festival, her goal is to be a “consistent contender”—and to learn and grow as much as she can. 

“I’m very curious, and I like to learn—with school, horses, everything,” she said. “All of the trainers at Heritage are so knowledgeable, and I’m taking something away every day.” 

Beyond the Ingate with Traveller

In this behind-the-scenes series from Heritage Farm, we’re introducing you to the program’s horses and riders in a whole new way. Get to know our group beyond what you’ve seen ringside, accolades and all:

Laena Romond and Catherine Cowie's Traveller in the 2021 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular. Photo by KIND Media

Traveller

• Age: 11

• Rider(s): Catherine Cowie, Laena Romond

• 2021 Highlights: Won the $50,000 National Horse Show Hunter Classic; Won WCHR Amateur-Owner Hunter 3'3" Challenge at Capital Challenge; 5th, WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular (high score first round)

Catherine Cowie's Traveller has become one of the most recognized horses at Heritage Farm. The chestnut certainly boasts distinctive markings, but his jump is undoubtedly his greatest trademark.

The now-11-year-old gelding has been a mainstay at Heritage since May 2018, when Emil Spadone and Cassandra Kahle of Redfield Farm brought him to Heritage Farm in Katonah, NY for a trial. Heritage trainer Laena Romond remembers the weekend well.

"We tried him in the middle of the Old Salem horse show, which is one of our busiest, but we tried him at [our farm]," she recalled. "Andre and I zipped out of the horse show, went to Heritage and saw him for 10 minutes. We obviously liked him—he was lovely—and [Spadone] let him stay overnight for Catherine to try the next morning.

"As busy as we were, the only time we could do this trial was at 6:30 in the morning," she continued. "Catherine drove up—I think she probably left her house at 4:30 in the morning from [New York City]—to try him in a torrential downpour in the dark. It was a horse she had never ridden, and he had never been to Heritage before. And he just didn't put a foot wrong. So, that was that was the first impression."

"Travis" was a winner from the get-go, topping the 2018 Stal Hendrix Green Hunter Futurity at HITS on the Hudson with Romond. He just as quickly shined in the amateur hunter divisions with Cowie.

"We got him in May, and our first show [together] was in July," said Cowie, who works full-time at an investment and financial advising company. "He has this incredible canter that makes you feel pretty; he's like a rocking horse. He's so easy to find the jumps on. It was pretty clear from the first day we had him that it was going to be a nice partnership."

Catherine Cowie and Traveller at WEF. Photo by KIND Media.

When it came to Traveller's development, he was a quick study. With endless heart and a kind temperament, he had endless "try" in him. Early in his time with Heritage, the team worked to channel his explosive jump into a more relaxed manner.

"That's kind of what he's known for—that he's a sharp, high jumper," Romond said. "At the beginning, that was more of a challenge, and it was all about kind of relaxing him and not over-challenging him to where he was jumping too high. I would say in that respect, he still is a sharp jumper, but he's kind of learned how to jump consistently and and not over-jump. And it's turned out to be his greatest asset."

The year 2021 turned out to be his greatest season. In February, he and Romond jumped to the high score in the first round of the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, ultimately finishing fifth in the prestigious class. At indoors, Cowie took the reins for the win in the WCHR Amateur-Owner Hunter 3'3" Challenge at the Capital Challenge Horse Show.

He put an exclamation mark on his year at the National Horse Show, where he and Romond were champions of the Green Hunter 3'6" division before topping the $50,000 National Horse Show Hunter Classic.

"I felt very grateful that I got to show him there, because Catherine wasn't able to show herself. She showed at Capital Challenge and at Harrisburg, and she had been planning to show in Kentucky, but she had to work, so she couldn't be there during the week.

"She said, 'No, I like watching him go. Send him. Take him,'" Romond continued. "The fact that it then worked out the way that it did felt really awesome."

"I watched on the livestream, and it was so exciting. It was a nice end to his First Year [Green]," Cowie said. "He’s the most perfect horse, so it was very deserving."

Catherine Cowie and Traveller. Photo by KIND Media.

Cowie and Romond agree, Travis is undoubtedly a people's horse. He craves attention, but he's polite about it. It's not uncommon to find him ringside sharing a moment with his favorite people—Cowie and Romond.

"He is the most polite horse I have ever really known," Romond said. "He's a type of horse that when you're at the ring with him, the other riders are fond of him. He's really like a rider's horse in that sense."

"He’s very sweet. He loves human contact," Cowie said. "When you're next to him on the ground, he'll inch closer and closer and rest his head on your shoulder. He knows how special he is, and he gets a lot of attention.
 

Both Romond and Cowie will continue to show Travis in 2022, though Cowie will take the reins more in the coming year, with a focus on the amateur-owner hunters.

"He’s always a reliable partner. He never does anything out of character, and he always wants to do his best," Cowie. "He's there to sort of take you to the next step if you’re game to commit to it."

"The fact that he does both jobs so well, I think that speaks to his character," Romond said. "You know, he's just a good guy."

Beyond the Ingate with Amira Kettaneh and Dylan Bazaar

In this behind-the-scenes series from Heritage Farm, we’re introducing you to the program’s horses and riders in a whole new way. Get to know our group beyond what you’ve seen ringside, accolades and all:

Amira Kettaneh and Gossip SA. Photo by SportFot

Amira Kettaneh

• Age: 16

• Hometown: Hollis, NH

• Horses: Gossip SA, Campino TH, Nashville Hero

• 2021 Highlights: Advanced to the second round of the ASPCA Maclay National Championship; fourth overall, North American Pre Junior Championship at NAYC; top 10, WEF Equitation Championship; committed to the University of South Carolina NCEA Hunt Seat team

Amira Kettaneh's connection to Heritage originated with her mother. Leigh Kettaneh, who runs her own Fox Creek Farm out of Hollis, NJ, grew up riding with longtime Heritage Farm trainer Patricia Griffith, and at the 2017 USEF Pony Finals, she approached Griffith to see if her daughter could work with the Heritage Farm team.

In the more-than five years since, Amira, 16, has made quite the commitment to Heritage. She and her mother drive her horses from their home base more than four hours for lessons at Heritage and meet up with the operation at horse shows across the country.

"When we are between shows, we'll ship in for the day to lesson as often as we can," Amira said. "If shows are closer together, we don’t get there very often, and we'll just meet at shows. In Florida, it's easier. We live four hours away in New Hampshire, but while we are in Wellington, we'll go over and lesson twice a week."

Amira has stamped herself as a rider to watch with two years remaining in her junior career. At the 2021 ASPCA Maclay National Championship, she and her own Gossip SA advanced to the second round, and the pair finished ninth in the WEF Equitation Championship. With her jumper Campino TH, she finished fourth individually in the Pre Junior Championship at NAYC, and this winter in Wellington, she steps up to the high junior jumper division with both "Tino" and another mount, Nashville Hero.

"The whole team aspect of Heritage—there's not just one trainer, and they work together really well. It makes it really nice," Amira said. "They're also very organized. I never have to worry when I'm at the ring."

Collegiate riding was not originally on Amira's radar, but NCEA coaches certainly noticed her, and in January she committed to the University of South Carolina's recruiting class of 2023. She credits her extensive resources at Heritage for helping to educate her about the process.

"I didn’t know much about college riding, but I got to know other girls that at Heritage that rode on college teams, and they really enjoyed it," Amira said. "It was really helpful to have all those people around me, to tell me the pros and cons about it. I'll most likely major in bio-engineering of some sort, with a double-major in business."

In the meantime, she's eager to achieve new goals, while also growing her horsemanship skills, as she continues managing her horses at home.

"I've had to learn how to prepare own horses, since they are not stabled with Heritage. They've showed me and taught me how they should feel when they're show-ready, and how much I need to do," Amira explained. "They're very good about teaching you timing, pace and track. It's nice to have my mom, too, to have two sets of eyes."

Dylan Bazaar and Nashville. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography

Dylan Bazaar

• Age: 15

• Hometown: Katonah, NY

• Horses: Nashville, Dario

• 2021 Highlights: 5th, USEF Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under National Championship - East Coast; made first ASPCA Maclay National Championship and USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final appearances

Dylan Bazaar will travel to Wellington, FL this winter to compete at the Winter Equestrian Festival for the very first time. Bazaar, 15, has spent the past six years riding with Heritage, but while much of the barn traveled south for the winter season, Bazaar committed to the northeast circuit and Heritage's "Winter Warrior" program in Katonah.

"I love staying home in the winter. I've been doing this ever since I started riding," Bazaar said. "Going to all the local horse shows around us, the people start to feel like a family. While I've been to WEF before, this [year] will be my first time participating and juggling the back-and-forth with school."

While she may not have gotten the exposure of some of her peers, Bazaar's hard work at home paid off in spades: She qualified for both the USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final and the ASPCA Maclay National Championship by way of the Region 2 finals at Old Salem Farm.

"I remember walking to the ring at Harrisburg [for the first time] and being like, ‘Whoa!’" Bazaar exclaimed. "To have all the top riders right there at the ring, it was definitely a 'wow' experience, but standing at ingate, Andre told me, 'You've got this.' Those three words mean so much."

Bazaar did it all with her versatile and reliable mount, Nashville, who also made the qualifying lists for the junior hunters at all the indoor championships, earning ribbons wherever he passed through the ingate. At the USEF Junior Hunter National Championships — East, Bazaar and the bay finished fifth overall in the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under division.

"He's my heart horse," Bazaar said. "We bought him when he was just turning six and had just [been imported]. He took me through my first indoor season and is just the second horse [I've owned]."

This year, Bazaar added the experienced Dario to her string as she puts a greater focus on the equitation ring. Among her goals are to qualify for her first USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals — East. Nashville, meanwhile, will focus on continuing his prowess in the junior hunters as well as contesting some USHJA International Hunter Derby classes.

"I came to Heritage at 10 years old not even knowing how to count strides," Bazaar recalled. "I look back at every year, and I look back at the fall season, and I remember every little thing. Focusing on equitation, at Heritage, [there is a focus on] every detail. My equitation has changed, my mentality and how I use my brain has changed, and Heritage has helped me with all of that."