The Next Chapter

Hello everyone!

     I’m sorry it has been so long, life has gotten quite busy for me over the past several months.  Last August I started working for my trainer Ashleigh Luca Tyson as a full time working student and have had the amazing opportunity to work with many incredible horses and people since.  I have learned so much and I feel like a completely different rider and person from who I was last year.  I feel so lucky to be where I am today and really would like to give Ashleigh a big thank you for helping me so much on this journey!  I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for me over the next year!

     In the meantime, I have a few very exciting announcements.  First of all, I am officially graduated from High School as of May 2012!  It feels so great to have accomplished graduating a year early with a 4.1 GPA and now I plan to take a little time off over the remainder of this year to figure out what is next for me academically.  To keep me busy, I have enrolled in an Equestrian Fundraising School provided by the Dressage Foundation to learn more about approaching sponsors, how to present myself to businesses and other important life lessons.  I’m sure it will prove useful for the future! 

     Speaking of the Dressage Foundation, I am one of the four Young Riders chosen from across the country selected to participate in their Olympic Dream Program this year!  Read more about us here: http://www.dressagefoundation.org/2012_Olympic_Dream_Participants.htm.  During August 12th through the 22nd we will travel through Europe visiting the best dressage stables and competitions to see just what it takes to ride at the highest level of the sport.  I am so excited and honored to be a part of this program and I look forward to keeping everyone updated on my adventures throughout the trip!

     Last but certainly not least, Chance is getting a baby sister!  My family and I have just purchased a darling little Westphalian mare in the Netherlands.  “Sophie” is three years old and has not yet been started under saddle, so we have a lot of work to do!  It is a dream come true for me and I am so looking forward to starting a partnership with my precious little girl.  She arrives in the U.S. this week and should be coming to our barn in a couple of weeks!  Look for more updates on our journey together soon! 

 

    That’s about it for now.  Chance and I are looking forward to some fun shows this fall once we get through this summer heat, so I will let you know what’s in store for our future in the next few months.  For now we will just try to stay cool and have some fun this summer!  Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July!

~Catherine Rose Chamberlain~